Wicked Burn
by PocketSevens
Summary: It's been a year since Glinda took over for the Wizard and she's done well as ruler of Oz. But something threatens to undermine all she's accomplished. Who does she call for help? Michael Westen. Fiyeraba, some Gloq and Michael/Fiona
1. Author Notes

Author's Notes

This is a Wicked/Burn Notice crossover.

Summary: It's been a year since Glinda the Good took over for the Wizard and she's done well as ruler of Oz. But some underhanded dealings, rumors and accusations threaten to undermine all she's accomplished. Who does she call for help? The only one who can: Michael Westen.

This story is based on the characters in the musicverse, so water doesn't affect Elphaba. I've also researched as much as I can on the Web to try to keep everything as authentic as possible. I may not have been successful, but I tried. :)

This also occurs before the current season of "Burn Notice", so it's just Michael, Fiona and Sam. (Those who watch "Burn Notice" regularly will understand what I mean.)

This is my first shot at fan fiction. I know the story is based on a crazy idea but I hope you enjoy it. I welcome comments, feedback, and constructive criticism. Also, please let me know you're out there and if you enjoy the story or not.

Rated T (just in case) for some language and mild action stuff. Fiyeraba, some Gloq and Michael/Fiona.

**Note: I own neither "Burn Notice" nor "Wicked" and no copyright infringement is intended.**


	2. Glinda The Good

The sun shone in the western sky descending in the horizon; it was the end of another beautiful day in Oz.

The sunset cast an orange glow against the emerald walls of the palace in Emerald City. On a balcony of the palace stood a young woman; her golden locks of hair and her blue dress flowing in the gentle breeze. Glinda cherished moments like these as it allowed her clear her mind, breathe the fresh, and to take in the beauty of Oz.

As ruler of Oz, she didn't have a lot of time to take in quiet moments like this. She was in office for a year now, and the past year had provided a lot of learning experiences. She learned the delicate and sometimes brutal games of politics, and she grew accustomed to her new leadership role.

It wasn't that she hated the job - on the contrary, she relished it. At the heart of all she did, she loved serving the people, and they loved her back.

_Who would have thought, _Glinda thought, _bubbly-headed Galinda would be the ruler of Oz._

She chuckled when she thought about it. It had been a year since her best friend was killed by the mob, when she dismissed the Wizard because of his corrupt nature and sent Morrible to prison for murdering Nessarose Thropp.

_Elphie was right: there was a lot of corruption then. _

It was at that time she decided to adopt the title, "Glinda the Good" as a symbol of her determination to do good for the people.

During the year, Glinda had the opportunity to work on her sorcery. When she pulled out her (somewhat shabby) notes from her sorcery class at Shiz, she laughed at how bad they were. However, she started again and started to get the hang casting spells. She also started learning some of the spells in the Grimmerie.

It was this book that she kept guarded most of all, if not for its content but also who gave it to her. It was in a special place in the Palace library where very few people had access to it.

Yes, it was definitely a year of learning; however, she knew there was still much to learn.

Lately, though, the days in the "office" had gotten a little more difficult. With political bickering and projects being held up due to red tape...they all seemed like a weight on her shoulders. That is why she liked coming to the balcony: it was a moment in time to put that weight down.

Glinda's eyes were closed as the breeze gently caressed her. She was humming a tune, but was interrupted when she heard some clanging footsteps behind her. Without turning around, she smiled and said, "Beautiful evening isn't it?"

The voice behind her replied, "The color of the sky is acceptable for this time of day, Miss Glinda, and the breeze is not too strong either. One would think you conjured up this evening yourself."

Glinda chuckled. "That's what I love about you, Boq - you're always logical to a fault."

She turned around to greet the Tinman. He bowed before Glinda. "Always of service, Miss Glinda." And he flashed her a smile.

Boq was one of the few people Glinda trusted and one of the few people she allowed to call her by name. He was also her advisor. He was great at using logic to work through any issues or situations that arose. When he lost his heart though, he lost his ability to feel any emotion, so he couldn't _feel _through issues and situations.

Glinda was happy he was with her. It was during this past year she realized what a good friend Boq was. Part of her was sad as she felt responsible for what happened to him. In a way, she kicked off the events that led to his transformation. She hoped that one day she could turn him back to his former Munchkin self, and when that happened she hoped their friendship could become something more.

Many times, Boq would come up to the balcony and chat with Glinda talking about everything. Today, Boq asked Glinda, "Miss Glinda, have you had any success finding the healing spell yet?"

It was rumored there was a spell that might heal and transform Boq back to his normal self. Glinda had been searching for this spell for about six months now. Unfortunately, it seemed the spell was more rumor than fact.

She shook her head at the question, "No Boq, I haven't." But she smiled her famous Glinda smile and added, "But I haven't given up looking. We _will_ find it, Boq. I promise."

Boq nodded. "I understand, Miss Glinda. I would assume by your lack of success finding the spell that it would be a fictitious item, and that your continued efforts, while commendable, would be fruitless. However, I do know you have hope in finding it which will propel you in your efforts. No matter the outcome, I would like you to know that I appreciate your efforts."

Glinda took his hand in hers and smiled. "Aw, thank you Boq. I know you meant that in the warmest way."

Boq looked at his hand in hers. He could sense that she held his hand, but he couldn't feel the warmth, or the love, that she gave. He remembered how he was before he was…changed. He longed for the day when he could be back to his old self. In the meantime, he was determined to stand by Glinda as a servant, advisor, and friend.

As evening wore on and night set in, they continued their chat, talking about the events of the day. Once the sun had finally disappeared, they went back into the Palace for a good night's rest.

* * *

Later that night in Munchkin country, a couple of Munchkins who had been partying a little too much were laughing and sharing conversation as they walked home past an empty field. They failed to notice a scarecrow that stood in the middle of that field. They also failed to notice that it watched them silently as they passed by, standing still, except for his eyes following them. He was on the lookout for his companion as she had secretly entered a nearby town to look for a spell: a healing spell that may be able to transform the scarecrow back to his former self – the prince of the Vinkus.

He heard a rustling behind him in the field, and then heard a small whistle. This was their secret call to let the other know they were safe. After making sure nobody was around, the scarecrow slowly crouched down and met his companion. He whispered, "Fae?"

A pair of hands reached up and pulled him closer to her, and his lips met with hers. When they finally broke, he heard his companion say, "Fiyero, I think we found it."


	3. Staying in Oz

It was early in the morning, and the morning sun was fully visible in the east. After a night sleeping in an abandoned barn, Fiyero awoke to spitting sound. He looked over to Elphaba, who had just woken up and was swatting bugs off of her face. He smiled at this, trying so hard to stifle a laugh. It was a light-hearted moment – one of the few light-hearted moments they've had for the past year.

After the mob came to Kiamo Ko a year ago, they decided to leave Oz for good. It would be the only way they could live and they said they'd never come back.

They travelled for two months towards the border, east from the Emerald City through the Winkie Country. They chose this route because, since it was the land of the Vinkus, Fiyero knew the routes in the country very well. They traveled for two months, mostly at night so they wouldn't be seen. It also made it easier to avoid being recognized by people in the street.

After two months of walking, they arrived at the border…

_It was a long and dangerous journey, but they made it to the edge of Oz. It was mid afternoon when they finally made it through to the edge of the forest, one of the very few times they travelled during the day. Elphaba's heart started to beat with both nervousness and excitement. "We're almost there."_

_They came to the edge of the forest and stopped. Ahead of them was freedom. All that stood between them and their freedom was…_

"_Sand", Elphaba sighed. "Lots and lots of sand." Her excitement turned to despair as they stated at the expanse of sand ahead of them._

_In front of them was an immense stretch of sand as far as the eye could see. They had reached the infamous Deadly Deserts – the deserts that separated Oz from the outside world. It was rumored that the deserts stretched for hundreds of miles and anyone who sets foot into the sand of any of these deserts was either swallowed up by the desert or turned into sand themselves._

_Elphaba turned to Fiyero. "Do you think the stories are true?"_

_Fiyero looked around and found a stick the length of a walking staff. He took the stick and threw it into the ground…and it disappeared in a puff of sand._

_Fiyero sighed. "Yeah, I *do* think the stories are true."_

_Elphaba was distraught. They were so close to freedom, but they couldn't get across. He looked into her eyes that started to tear up. "We can't leave yet, can we?"_

_He held her in his arms as she sobbed. The realization set in…if they tried to set foot into the desert they would die…they could not leave Oz._

Of course, they could have just levitated over the sands, but Elphaba couldn't remember the spell. Without the Grimmerie, they were stuck.

So, they had spent the next four months trying to find another way out of Oz. They traveled from city to city, trying to find anybody who knew of how to get past the deserts. Fiyero would talk to the people in the different cities they visited, since, if Elphaba tried it, it would cause a mass panic. People would look at Fiyero funny; well, he _was_ a scarecrow. Yet, he was somehow able to get people to look past his straw frame. He had a charm that would put anybody at ease.

Whenever they did get something, it was either pieces of information or rumors. The information would lead them to other cities in Oz where they got more rumors and clues. Every time they got close, they ended up finding more rumors, more clues, or more little pieces of information.

Of course, Elphaba continually had to hide from everybody lest she be recognized. They had been travelling for six months now and it was getting to be too much: travelling across all of Oz, chasing rumors, hiding from locals, sleeping in fields or abandoned buildings, and eating whatever food they could get. The worst part was putting up hearing the songs over and over again…

"_Ding dong, the witch is dead! Which old witch? The Wicked Witch…"_

"_No one mourns the wicked!"_

_Six months of hell_, Elphaba thought.

It was around then that things started to look brighter. During one of their visits to a town in the Quadling Country, Fiyero was talking to the locals when one woman asked him, "Were you always like this? A scarecrow, I mean?"

Fiyero smiled and explained that, no, he wasn't always a walking, talking scarecrow, but a long time ago he was human. She told him, "You know, I've heard of a healing spell that could transform you back into a human being. Perhaps Glinda the Good could help you get back to your normal self."

That piece of information led them on another series of journeys, but with the possibility of turning Fiyero back to human, their determination was renewed. This time, their determination paid off and their journey produced a result. They had heard that the spell was with an apothecary in a town in the Munchkin Country. Elphaba travelled into town late in the evening to find it when most townspeople were out celebrating. She covered herself to hide her face and wore gloves to cover her hands. They decided Elphaba would travel into town as she was the only one who could read the spell and determine its authenticity. They She found the home of the apothecary, and after some searching, she found the parchment.

Elphaba had awoken to a bunch of bugs walking across her face. She bolted upright and swatted them all away. "Ugh! I hate bugs!" She looked over at Fiyero and noticed he was smiling, trying so hard to hold back a laugh. Try as she might, she couldn't hold back either. They both started laughing.

After they calmed down, Fiyero playfully asked, "Not the way you want to wake up, my love?"

She smiled and replied, "No, _this_ is how I wanted to wake up," and she leaned down and kissed him. As they did, she could feel the warmth of his love radiating through her – it was the only thing that kept them going. Elphaba was new to love – _true_ love, that is. It was a new experience for her as she never got it from her family. Fiyero, to his credit, was patient with her as she started to understand what love really was.

After they finished their "good mornings", Elphaba couldn't hold her excitement in. "Fiyero, I found part of the spell." She pulled out a rolled up parchment from her satchel and handed it to him. She squealed, "It's real, Yero! It's real!"

Fiyero unrolled the parchment and looked at the words on it. He saw that it was indeed part of the spell with the top of the parchment torn away. He looked at her with hope. "Are you sure this is it?"

"YES!" she cried. She sat beside him and pointed to the parchment, "There are words here that talk about 'healing', 'restoration', 'transformation' and 'making whole'. Yero, this is it! I'm sure of it!"

His hands shook as he held it. He whispered in disbelief, "By Oz, it's really true." He looked back up at Elphaba and excitedly asked, "Fae, do you know what this means?"

Elphaba embraced him enthusiastically. "If we find the rest of the spell, we can transform you back!"

* * *

The morning sun shone on the Emerald Palace - its green walls shimmering in the morning light. Glinda just finished a breakfast meeting with the Governor of the Emerald City, Shaz, when a guard ran up and bowed before her. "Your Goodness, we have a visitor this morning."

Glinda looked a little puzzled. They weren't expecting any formal visitors to the Palace. _Perhaps he meant somebody on a tour of the palace_, she thought.

Her confusion turned to dismay as a rather rotund man walked up to greet her. Under her breath, she said, "You."

The Wizard bowed before Glinda and smiled. "Your Goodness, it's truly a pleasure to see you again."


	4. Something Bad Is Happening in Oz

Glinda had been at this job for a year and she had done some wonderful things during that time. She was able to forge alliances with each of the governors of the Munchkin, Gillikin and Quadling Countries. She also had a great political and personal relationship the king and queen of Winkie Country. She worked with the Governor of the Munchkin country to undo the restrictions Nessarose put on the Munchkins. She also repealed the Wizard's restrictions on Animals and worked with the governors to reintegrate the Animals into society. She was able to maintain peace and order across the land, and have countries working together for the common good. Her first year had been very prosperous for Oz.

She also had to face down a number of skeptical politicians; members of parliament and other politicians who thought that Glinda's inexperience would be her downfall, or felt a _woman_ shouldn't be in power.

She proved them all wrong.

But now standing before her was the one person she did _not_ want to see.

She put on her best smile and curtsied back. "Wizard. What brings you to Oz?"

The Wizard smiled. "Oh, just catching up with old friends, seeing the sights…" He sighed, "You know, I miss this place sometimes. It's just such a magical place. You can't help but feel the magic."

_I'll bet_, Glinda thought.

The Wizard continued. "I _must_ say you've done a wonderful job so far. I hear you've accomplished so many good things as ruler of Oz. I'm quite impressed. I don't think I could have done a better job myself."

"Thank you," she replied suspiciously.

The Wizard continued. "Although, it must be very difficult to run the country all on your own. I mean, with all of the issues, problems, petty grievances…it must weigh on you sometimes."

Glinda stood up tall. "I manage."

"Yes, well of course you do. Well, I suppose you have a number of meetings scheduled and things to do, so I should be off. It was good to see you again, Miss Glinda."

He bowed as he left and Glinda watched him as he walked away.

Boq walked up to her. "What was that about?"

Glinda shook her head. "I don't know, but all of a sudden I've got a bad feeling."

Meeting the Wizard was just the start of a bad day. Glinda's next meeting was with the governor of Gillikin, Mr. Dawson. Three months ago, they had started a project together where water would be irrigated from the river in the west of the country to the low-lying farmlands. It was on this subject they were to have their meeting. She walked into the great hall and greeted the governor.

He offered a smile and a handshake but he didn't look happy. She accepted his hand and shook it. "Mr. Dawson. It's always a pleasure."

"Your Goodness. Unfortunately, my visit is not a pleasurable one."

Glinda was slightly taken aback. "What is your concern?"

They walked through the grand hall of the palace. He spoke as they walked. "I have been getting reports from our workers that our new irrigation project is severely delayed. It seems the materials we need are either arriving late or not at all."

Glinda was puzzled by this. "That's very odd as I have not heard of any delays. I can assure you that we were able to get the needed materials from the King and Queen of the Vinkus and they were sent to your workers."

"I thought that was true as well, so I went to the worksite and saw that the project is only about half complete."

"That is troubling news."

"I am sure you are aware of the importance of completing this project. There are many farmers in my country that are dependent on this irrigation system."

Glinda replied, "Mr. Dawson, please understand that we take this endeavor very seriously. I hope you have not been given the opposite impression."

He nodded. "I understand."

"Now, Mr. Dawson, if there are any delays in the project, they have not been brought to my attention by anybody else. As a matter of fact, I was informed that the project is going along just fine."

Dawson thought about this for a few seconds. He stopped and looked directly at Glinda. His look was of concern. "There's something else: there have been concerns expressed on your lack of experience in this role. Now, I know you took over after the Wizard's departure and you haven't had a lot of experience running a country. With problems like this occurring, can the Government of Oz be trusted?"

Glinda bristled inside at that question. She put on a smile and said, "Mr. Dawson, I can assure you that we intend to have a beneficial relationship with you and your people. We will investigate your concerns immediately and will have them resolved quickly."

Mr. Dawson smiled. "I certainly hope so." He shook her hand and turned to leave, but stopped and said, "Your Goodness, I want you to understand something: I think you're doing a good job; I really do want you to succeed in your role. May I offer a piece of advice?"

Glinda nodded.

Dawson continued, "In my experience, it pays to make sure you know everything that's going on. There are those who would love to see you fall and take your place for their own personal gain. Make sure you know who to trust."

"Thank you, Mr. Dawson." Glinda smiled as he left, but it was a smile of courtesy, not joy. Inside she felt troubled: she'd worked so hard for the past year to gain everybody's trust. Were there doubts about her? Were there those who were working to see her fail?

Boq walked up to her and took her out of her thoughts. "Miss Glinda, the King and Queen of the Vinkus request your presence in the Communications Room."

Glinda left to follow Boq. From the shadows of the grand hall, the Wizard watched her walk away with a wicked smirk on his face.

* * *

Glinda was shocked. "Are you sure about this?"

The "Communications Room" was a place where Glinda would go to talk to the different rulers if they couldn't make the journey to the Emerald Palace. It wasn't a large room: it was just a small office. In the middle of the room stood a clear ball on a pedestal that allowed Glinda to see and talk to whoever was on the other side. It was a gift from the King and Queen of the Vinkus and they used this method of communication quite frequently.

Today, the King and Queen called Glinda to discuss a number of rumors going around their country. The Queen stepped forward. "I am afraid so. The rumors say that the Wicked Witch of the West was your best friend, and she's not really dead but you're protecting her."

Glinda was exasperated. "Sure, we were roommates at Shiz, but that was it! As far as protecting her? How can that be? I saw her die with my own eyes!" It was a reminder that brought back some painful memories.

"We understand, your Goodness," the King replied. "We were troubled by these rumors too. We've been trying to find out the source of these rumors."

Glinda ran her hands through her hair and sighed. "Great. Just great. First the Wizard arrives…"

The King, Queen and Boq all asked at the same time, "The Wizard is here in Oz?"

Glinda nodded. "I saw him this morning. He 'came by to say hello'." She put her fingers in the air and made quotation signs when she said, "came by to say hello".

The Queen then replied, "If he is here, I do not believe that these problems you're experiencing are coincidental."

The King then said, "We will continue to find out all we can. However, we wanted you to know what we heard."

Glinda thanked them for their information, then turned to Boq. "What do you think?"

* * *

Elsewhere in Oz, Elphaba and Fiyero decided to take the evening and walk back to Kiamo Ko. _It will be nice to sleep in a real bed¸ _Elphaba thought.

Fiyero turned to her as they walked. "So, what are you thinking about?"

She smiled. "When we get home, I'm having a bath."

Fiyero smiled. "No kidding. You're just lucky I can't smell anything." She swatted his arm for that comment, but he smiled even bigger. "Ha ha! Didn't hurt!"

Elphaba eyed him menacingly. "Oh really?"

Fiyero laughed back. "Really!" He ran up a few feet. "Catch me if you can!"

Elphaba smiled and ran after him. It was relatively easy to do as his straw limbs didn't really give him a speed advantage.

When she caught up to him, however, he covered her mouth. "Shhh!" He whispered, "Trees now!"

They dove for the trees and hid. Elphaba asked him, "What did you see?"

Fiyero pointed towards a building in the distance. Ahead of them was what looked like a two story house with two thick steel front doors that spanned both stories. In front of this structure two guards were keeping watch as other guards unloaded items from a carriage into the building.

Fiyero and Elphaba slowly made their way towards the house making sure they kept quiet. They could hear voices of the guards and those unloading the carriage:

"So what have we got now?"

"Lumber for some bridging project."

"Big project?"

"Yeah, one of that chic's biggest. Wiz wants these stored too."

"He's storing up a lot here."

"Yeah, well, he'll start handing these out once that bitch for a leader is gone and he's in control."

Fiyero realized what they meant. "Glinda."

Elphaba replied, "Why are they doing this? And the Wizard's behind this?"

"They just said the Wizard is behind this. They're trying to undermine her."

She turned to Fiyero. "We have to warn her."

Fiyero's eyes widened. "What? Are you crazy? She doesn't even know we're alive. Besides, you can't just walk up to the Emerald palace – everybody in Oz thinks you're dead."

"I know, but I owe her. She saved my life, remember?"

How could he not? He remembered how Glinda came to warn Elphaba about the coming mob – it allowed her to hide under the trap door before he came for her.

"Fiyero, please!" Elphaba pleaded.

Fiyero sighed. "All right. We'll go, but we'll need to devise a plan to tell her."

"I know."

* * *

Boq and Glinda continued their conversation on the balcony of the palace; the place where they usually wind down. Today, however, there was too much to be worried about. "Based on what we've heard, and that the Wizard has arrived in Oz, I agree with the King and Queen: these events are not coincidental. There is some deviousness is going on."

Glinda nodded in agreement. "That's what I think too."

"Perhaps he wants rule over Oz again?"

Glinda ran her hands through her hair. "I don't know. I have no proof if he's trying to get control again. I don't even know if it's just him or if others are involved. I just don't like how this feels."

Boq thought about this for a second. "What if we got somebody to investigate to validate your concerns?"

Glinda sighed. "I agree with that suggestion but right now I do not know who in Oz to trust."

"I could start an investigation into…"

Glinda shook her head. "If you go missing or start asking around it will start to raise suspicions. No, we need somebody else."

Boq smiled. "I have an idea: after the Dorothy Gale incident, we sent 'spies' to the 'Other Side', most noticeably in America, to keep an eye out for anything that could have an impact on Oz. Perhaps one of them can help us find somebody to investigate for us."

"So find somebody outside of Oz to investigate?"

Boq nodded. "Somebody who has done this before – a professional. They could pretend to be 'visitors' to Oz while they investigate and report their findings."

Glinda pondered this idea; it was crazy, but it was the only option that was the best. After much consideration, she stood up resolute. "So, how do we begin?"


	5. Getting Help

"That was wonderful."

Fiona turned to Michael to express her satisfaction. He looked back at her and smiled, "I'll be honest with you: I enjoyed that very much. You know what, you were right about going."

They were leaving the Ziff Opera House in Miami after seeing Wicked. It had only recently opened but Fiona had to convince Michael for _weeks_ to take her to see it. Michael was skeptical about going, but when it was over, he found he enjoyed the show very much. Now they were walking arm in arm in downtown Miami. Michael wore his beige suit with a light blue shirt. Fiona was wearing a flowing white gown; she was absolutely beaming.

_(Michael Westen voiceover): As a spy, it's not very often you get to enjoy some downtime, so when you do get some, it's best to take full advantage of it and enjoy it._

Fiona just smiled at him. "I _told_ you that you would like it. Didn't I?"

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Of course, having Fiona constantly tell you she was right does make it a little tough._

They talked about the show as they walked back to their car. During their walk, Fiona said, "Of course, the idea of the Wizard being corrupt was new."

Michael nodded. "Yeah, he was definitely a different character from 'The Wizard of Oz'." Michael remembered watching "The Wizard of Oz" as a child with his mom, wishing he could have escaped like Dorothy did.

Fiona continued. "I felt bad for the Wicked Witch, though. She didn't deserve the treatment they did. They smeared her from the beginning and the Wizard used that to keep his power."

Michael nodded. "Cult of personality. He created this illusion around him of being the 'All Powerful Wizard' and people blindly followed him."

A voice from the sidewalk shouted, "Quite right sir!"

Fiona and Michael stopped and looked at where the voice was coming from. They found an old homeless man sitting against one of the buildings. He was wearing a ragged brown coat, tank top shirt and jeans with holes in them. He held a brown bag with a bottle neck sticking out of it. He asked them, "So, sir, how would you defeat the Wizard?"

Michael asked him, "How do you know about the story?"

The homeless man smiled. "Oh, you sit outside the back of the theatre and you hear the music: it sounds wonderful, does it not? So, what do you think? How would you have handled the situation?"

Fiona tried to pull Michael away, but Michael shot a quick answer, "Simple: expose the truth - show him to be a fraud."

The man raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "And how would you do that, sir?"

Michael shrugged, "Get the truth out to the public as much as possible. News media, public spectacle, word of mouth…whatever it took."

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Cults of Personality are created by leaders who want to create an image of a heroic figure. They do this by controlling the media: that way, they control the message. Stalin and Lenin were very good creating cults of personality; however, their cult status started to fall when Gorbachev introduced "glasnost" and released their historical records to the press. Once the Soviet press started to look at Stalin's and Lenin's crimes, their hero status pretty much crumbled._

The man smiled. "It sounds like you've got some experience in this sort of thing."

"You might say that."

Fiona pulled on Michael's arm. "Michael, let's go. He's drunk."

Michael reached into his pocket and pulled out $10. "Here buddy – go get something to eat."

The man took the money with grateful eyes. "Oh, thank you sir! Thank you. I will." He kept thanking both Fiona and Michael as they walked away. However, when they were out of sight, he dropped the "drunken homeless man" act, quietly pulled out a cell phone, dialed a number and after a few seconds said, "Yeah, it's me. I found somebody who can help. His name is Michael Westen."

* * *

The next morning in his apartment, Michael woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. He looked over at his clock and noticed it was about 7AM. He groaned as he leaned over to pick up his phone.

Fiona turned over to face Michael, and then nuzzled herself into his side. "If it's Sam, tell him I'm going to kill him."

Michael squinted at the caller id. It said, "Private number".

"It's not Sam," he said as he opened his phone. "Hello?"

A young lady's voice came over the other end of the phone. "Is this Michael Westen?"

Michael had never heard the voice before. "Who is this?"

The voice paused for a second, but then said, "I need your help."

Michael sat up and Fiona put her ear to the other side of the phone. "How did you get my number?"

"That's not important right now. I understand you have some…abilities…that could help me with my problem."

Michael was starting to get annoyed: the caller was being evasive on purpose.

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Having somebody avoid your questions raises a red flag. It's obvious they have something to hide and it's those hidden things that can make or break an operation._

"With all due respect, if you can at least give me some details…"

The caller interrupted him and sounded more desperate. "I will – I promise. I just need you to meet me."

Michael looked at Fiona – his eyes were asking her: _what do you think?_ She nodded to him.

"Where?"

* * *

"Mike, are you sure this is right place?"

After Michael and Fiona had gotten up, they packed some clothes and some "equipment", then went and picked up Sam in Michael's Charger. The caller had instructed them to drive up state highway 27 to just before the Storm water Treatment areas.

It was in the middle of nowhere.

Michael turned to Sam. "Yes, Sam. This is the place she said she wanted to meet us."

Sam was skeptical, "Are you _really_ sure?"

Exasperated, Fiona replied, "Yes, Sam, we're sure."

Michael was definitely skeptical himself, but the caller seemed desperate, so he didn't want to disappoint her. Sam shook his head and looked out the window. "Well, whoever she is better hurry up before she gets wet. There's a bad storm coming."

They all looked out the window towards the oncoming storm. It was certainly building fast.

Michael sighed, "We'll wait another fifteen minutes. Hopefully she'll show up or call again."

They sat for another five minutes, Sam complaining the whole time about needing a beer. It was then that Michael's phone beeped. He looked down – text message. He opened the message: "Stay put."

Michael showed it to his companions. Fiona frowned. "Michael, this doesn't feel right. Something's wrong."

Sam turned his head to look out the back window, and then jumped in fright. "Whoa! Guys! Look!"

They turned around to see what got Sam frightened: from out of the storm a tornado had touched down on the road behind them. It was not too far away _and it was heading straight for them_.

Fiona screemed. Michael started the car, slammed it into drive, and hit the gas.

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Many people have been killed in cars while they were trying to outrun the tornado, and although it is sometimes possible to escape, it is generally not a good idea. It's best to get out and run into a ditch and ride out the storm. Of course, if you're in the middle of nowhere and there aren't any ditches, your options are limited._

A service road appeared on the right hand side. Fiona screamed at Michael, "The service road!"

Michael swerved onto the service road to get away from the main road. Unfortunately, the twister turned and followed them down the road. No matter which way they went, the twister was right on their tail_, and it was gaining on them._

As the twister got closer, the ground around them started shaking and the car started losing control.

Sam called out, "Mikey?"

"I KNOW! I KNOW!"

Michael's phone beeped again. Fiona looked at the screen and her eyes went wide. Sam asked her, "What does it say?"

"'Don't be afraid'!"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, it's easy for that thing to say!"

At that moment, the back end of the car lifted off the ground, and the car got pulled into the vortex. The car spun around and around as it sailed higher into the air. The last thing Michael remembered was shouting "HANG ON!" before the spinning caused all of them to black out.

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Many people have been killed in cars while they were trying to outrun the tornado; of course, you can't outrun a tornado if it's *trying* to catch you._

_

* * *

_

Michael started to slowly open his eyes. The sunlight was bright and it took some time for his eyes to adjust to the light. He noticed that the car was no longer moving but was parked. He started to look around and noticed that they were surrounded by a group of curious…little people?

He then looked over at Fiona; she was just starting to come around. He reached out to her and touched her shoulder. "Fi…"

She jumped at his touch, but he held her. "Fi, it's ok. We're ok."

She relaxed when she realized everybody was ok. She looked around and saw the gathering crowd before them. The look of shock was evident. "Where are we?"

Sam had woken up too and when he saw the crowd around the car, he sighed. "Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me."

They got out of the car and stepped out onto…

"A yellow brick road?" Sam asked.

They were in the middle of what looked like a town square. The townspeople came out so greet their new visitors. One of the men from the town stepped up and said, "Welcome, strangers."

Michael took off his sunglasses and said to him, "Thank you. Where are we exactly?"

"You are in the Munchkinland in the land of Oz."

Sam and Fi looked at each other in astonishment. Oz? They were in _Oz_?

Sam then asked, "You're joking, right?"

"Maybe we hit our heads or something," Fiona said to herself.

Michael ignored them. "How did we get here?"

A woman's voice answered, "Because I brought you here."

Everybody looked up into the sky and saw a blonde woman in a light blue dress, holding a snowflake wand, floating in the sky in a large pink bubble. The crowd oohed at this spectacle and bowed as she floated by them.

The townspeople parted to let the woman land in the square, and as she stepped foot on the Yellow Brick Road, the bubble disappeared. She walked up to Michael and held out her hand. "Mr. Westen, my name is Glinda Upland, and I need your help."


	6. Are We Really Here?

_**Sorry for the long delay, but here is the latest chapter. Please review and let me know what you think. **_

_**

* * *

**_Michael, Sam and Fiona grabbed all of their gear from the Charger and hid it in an old barn in Munchkinland as Glinda told the group that she would take them to the Emerald City. The trip was beyond their wildest expectations: Glinda conjured up a big bubble large enough for all of them to fly to the Emerald Palace. On their way there, they floated above the tree tops with a grand view of the Ozian countryside. Sam watched nervously, praying to anybody he could that the bubble wouldn't burst. Fiona, on the other hand, was absolutely elated while flying in the air. Michael noticed the contrast of his two companions and laughed. He just rode along and took it all in.

The trip to the Emerald City was nothing short of magical.

After a long ride, they arrived at the steps of the palace. Glinda brought them to the ground softly. Sam fell down to his knees. "Land! Thank God! Land!"

Fiona rolled her eyes. Glinda cleared her throat and directed them to the entrance of the palace. "This way please."

As they entered the palace a uniformed man walked up to them to inquire about the three strangers with Glinda. He was a young man, tall with short brown hair, and he wore a green uniform with gold plates on the front. As he approached, Michael whispered something in Glinda's ear. She looked at him and nodded.

Glinda smiled as the young man approached and said, "Pavel, I would like you to meet my guests: Michael, Fiona and Charles. They will be staying with us for a few days."

Pavel shook each of their hands. "Welcome to the Emerald Palace. I do hope you enjoy your stay."

Pavel then turned around left. Sam then turned to Michael and asked, "Charles?"

"I may need you to be Chuck Finley, Sam." Sam nodded in agreement.

Glinda escorted Sam, Fiona and Michael through the great hall. "Pavel is our head of security. He is in charge of all the guards here at the Emerald Palace, including the Gale Force."

Michael asked, "Gale Force?"

"Elite guard."

Michael studied him as they walked.

_Pavel  
Head of Security_

Glinda continued. "We are currently in the grand hall. This floor is used for special events, dinners, and assorted state functions. The second floor houses a bunch of meeting rooms and offices, including my office and the office of the Governor of Emerald City. The library is also on the second floor."

Sam asked, "Where are we going?"

"We're currently going to the third floor where guest suites are; you will be staying there. The fourth floor is where I stay – it is my own personal floor."

They reached a grand staircase in the middle of the hall and Glinda started upwards. Sam stopped to look around to admire the Grand Hall, but he noticed Pavel having a rather private conversation with an overweight man. He quietly whispered, "Mike, over there."

Michael stopped and saw the two men in conversation. However, when Pavel turned around and saw they were seen, the two men ended their conversation and parted ways.

As they walked up the grand staircase, they noticed that the second floor was just as big as the first floor. Glinda pointed out the offices and the large library in the west wing of the palace. They then continued up to the third floor, noticing that this floor was not as big as the rest, but still as beautiful.

They reached the guest suites, and Glinda directed them to a number of different rooms – each person to their own. "I hope these accommodations are satisfactory. Please, make yourself at home for now. I need to attend to some business but I'll be back in a few minutes."

With that, she turned and left.

Michael opened the door to his room and was awestruck. To say the accommodations were "satisfactory" was an understatement. His guest room was a large room with a dark wood king sized bed against the far wall. The ceiling had to be about twenty feet in the air. A large window poured in sunlight into the room, giving the gold paint a shine. Large beautiful curtains hung over the windows.

Michael could hear Fiona laughing as she walked into her room. Her room had an emerald theme with the walls painted an emerald color, gold curtains hanging in her room, and a king sized bed with bed covers that had different shades of green.

Sam walked into his room and found it had a burgundy color scheme with gold accents. He whistled as he took it in. After putting down his things in his guest suite, Michael walked over to Sam. "What do you think?"

Sam was awestruck. "Well, to be honest with you, it's one hell of a dream. I'll tell you that."

Fiona had joined them. "What, you don't like your room?"

Sam shook his head. "I do, but…"

Michael could see something was bothering Sam. He found a small table with four chairs in the corner of his room. He motioned them to sit down and asked them, "What are you guys thinking?"

Sam was the first to reply. Shaking his head, he said, "Mike, there's no way this is real. I mean, c'mon…" and in an imitation Munchkin voice, said, "'Welcome to the land of Oz'?" Back in his normal voice, he said "This place is a fairytale – there's no way we can be somewhere 'over the rainbow'."

"I don't know Sam: the countryside looked real to me," Fiona replied.

"Please, you're not buying the whole 'we're in the magical land of Oz' crap, are you?"

Michael held up his hands. "Guys, hold up a minute. Let's assess our situation for a second." Michael couldn't believe what he was going to say next. "From what we've seen so far, it appears we are in a magical land called 'Oz' after being brought here by a tornado and we're currently in the guest suites of a palace that's green after taking a ride in a pink bubble."

Fiona frowned and reluctantly said, "Well, when you put it that way, it does seem far fetched."

Michael then asked, "Even so, what possible explanations are there?"

Sam chuckled, "Either we're in the middle of a really crazy dream or we got taken to an MGM theme park."

Michael shook his head. "If this was a dream, how would all three of us be dreaming the same dream?"

Fiona added, "And we _are_ wearing the same clothes we were wearing before our ride through the twister."

"And all the stuff we packed is here," Sam conceded.

Michael got up from his chair and noticed a book on one of the nightstands. He picked it up and opened it.

Sam asked him, "What have you got, Mikey?"

Michael showed them the book. Sam took it and read the cover, "A History of Oz."

"Read a few sentences Sam."

Sam did just that, but then turned to Michael after a few seconds. "So?"

"Read again. Tell me if the words are the same."

_(Michael Westen voiceover): There are a number of different ways to tell if you're dreaming or hallucinating. One way is to take something that's written down, such as a book, read it, look away, then read it again. If you're dreaming, the words will change each time you try to read them, or they stop being legible altogether._

Sam read them again. "No change."

Fiona then felt a huge pain in her arm, screamed, "OW!" and then punched Sam in the arm. "Did you have to pinch me so hard?"

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Of course, there's also the "pinch me to see if I'm dreaming" method. _

Sam, rubbing his arm where Fiona hit him, said, "Yep, we're _definitely _awake."

Fiona, getting her composure back, said, "So…what? This is real?"

Michael nodded cautiously. "Until we know otherwise, I recommend we go with it. Let's do this like a real job. Deal?"

Sam and Fi both nodded in approval. Sam was still rubbing his arm. "You didn't have to hit me so hard."

Fiona glared at him. "You didn't have to pinch me."

Michael rolled his eyes. _It's like dealing with children._

Just then, Glinda walked back into the room. Michael, Fiona and Sam were surprised to see a tin man standing beside her. "This is Boq, one of my closest advisors. Boq, this is Michael, Fiona and Sam."

Boq shook their hands. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

Sam went back to his guest suite and brought a fifth chair into the room. Glinda proceeded to tell the group about the events in the Emerald City when her and her best friend, "Elphie" visited the Wizard from University. She told them how they found out he wasn't really a wizard but relied on deception and theatrics to appear powerful. She also talked about how the Wizard took away the rights of the Animals, and how he turned all of Oz against her best friend giving her friend the label the "Wicked Witch of the West" ("a title she didn't deserve", Glinda added). She finally explained how she disposed the Wizard just under a year ago and took over as ruler of Oz. The more Glinda talked, the more Fiona and Michael kept exchanging glances. It seemed like they've heard parts of this story before.

Glinda finished her story by explaining the Wizard's sudden return, how she heard about project delays and the rumors that started circulating.

Sam then asked, "You say the Wizard left Oz about a year ago. Do you know if he actually left?"

Glinda shrugged. "We all watched as he got into his hot air balloon and took off. I assumed he left Oz."

Fiona then said, "Either way, it appears he's back."

Michael then added, "And I would venture to guess he's been planning his return for a while."

Glinda sighed and asked, "So Mr. Westen, can you and your friends help us?"

Michael looked at Sam and Fiona. Both of them nodded.

_Glinda Upland_  
_Aka Glinda the Good  
Client_

Sam asked him, "So Mikey, you got a plan?"

Michael smiled. "Oh yeah."


	7. First Contact

**Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own Burn Notice or Wicked.**

* * *

Michael spent the morning discussing his plan with the group:

_"Glinda, you and Boq continue with your day. Keep up the appearance that everything is still normal."_

Glinda's afternoon meeting was with a group of people to discuss the final setup of the anniversary celebrations.

Before Glinda left for her meeting, Fiona asked her, "What anniversary?"

Glinda replied, "The anniversary of the death of the Wicked Witch of the West."

Fiona noticed a sense of sadness at Glinda's response. "You don't seem happy about it."

Glinda sighed. She wasn't – how could she be happy about the celebration of the death of her best friend? How could she celebrate the big lie perpetuated by the Wizard? These were the secrets she kept to herself, and she had to keep up appearances so nobody knew her secrets.

Glinda put on the best smile she could. "The celebration is more for the people of Oz," and with that she walked to her meeting.

Boq, meanwhile, did what he always did: walked through the palace and the perimeter outside to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

_"Fi, I need you to be on the ground to be my eyes."_

_Fiona smiled. "I get to play tourist."_

Fiona strolled through all the shops in the city. She was amazed that there were so many different shops in the Emerald City – cafés, open air restaurants, clothing shops, bed and breakfasts and tourist shops selling different trinkets. It amazed her that the area around the Palace almost looked like a regular tourist trap. Even so, she walked through the city looking around and taking in the view. During her walk, she stopped at a clothing store and complained to the shopkeeper that everything in the store was green. The shopkeeper looked at her strangely and said, "You _do _realize you're in the _Emerald _City?"

Fiona then heard Michael's voice in her earpiece, "Fi, don't make the locals angry now."

Fiona walked out of the store and quietly said, "Have you seen the stuff, Michael? It's all green. There's _nothing _that looks any good on me. The only thing I would _consider_ buying are some Palace coffee mugs I saw at a store down the road..."

Michael sighed. "Later Fi. See anything yet?"

Fiona sighed, "No, not yet."

She put on her sunglasses and looked around at the cafés that looked onto the Palace. It was at one of the cafés she noticed a group of people gathering around three men sitting at one of the outdoor tables. Every so often, one of the people watching would walk up to a man and shake his hand. As Fiona watched this, a group of people passed by saying, "The Wizard's back! He's sitting over there!"

Fiona walked over to get a better view. She saw three men sitting at a table and she recognized one of them. "Michael, I see Pavel, the head of security, sitting with two men at a table in the café overlooking the entrance of the palace. I'm willing to bet that one of them is the Wizard, and it seems they're having a very serious conversation."

"Which café?" Michael asked.

Fiona smiled. "Just look for the crowd."

Michael was standing on the fourth floor balcony overlooking the city with a pair of binoculars. It was the same balcony Glinda used in the evenings. He looked towards the café Fiona described. Sure enough, he saw Pavel sitting there with two other men. One of them Michael recognized as the man Pavel was chatting with in the great hall the previous day. The other gentleman was an older gentleman; probably in his fifties. He had short black hair, a good sized beard and mustache, and was dressed in a purple jacket.

He smiled. "Good work, Fi." He then said, "OK Sam, you're up."

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Going to meet a target cold is a difficult proposition. If your target is cautious, they will see you as a threat. However, if you approach your target and tell them you have a common objective, they will be more inclined to listen._

Sam strolled into the café wearing a gray suit, white shirt and sunglasses. He strolled over to the table where the three men were sitting, pulled up a chair and said, "This looks like a good spot to sit. Mind if I join you gents?"

Before they could answer, Sam sat down and called the waiter over. "Sir, some beers for me and my friends. What do you have?"

The waiter looked at Sam oddly and replied, "We…uh…we have Ozweiser in a bottle."

Sam replied, "That'll do."

One of the men looked at Sam incredulously. "Can I help you sir? You do realize you're sitting at a private table."

Pavel then spoke. "This is one of Glinda's guests, Wizard. I met him yesterday."

Sam then smiled. "Oh, so you're the Wizard? It's an honor to meet you sir. I've heard so much about you."

He offered his hand to him, and the Wizard shook it. The Wizard then asked, "And you are?"

"The name's Finley – Chuck Finley."

Sam then introduced himself to the third man in the group, who remained silent during the exchange. Then he handed the three of them a business card: _Chuck Finley, President and CEO, Finley Shipping. _The Wizard took the card. "So, what is the nature of your visit, Mr. Finley?"

Sam sat back as the waiter put four bottles of beer on the table. "Well, as you can see, I'm the owner of a shipping business. I'll ship anything anywhere. Appliances, food, guns, ammo…you name it, I ship it." Sam took a swig of his beer and then continued: "So, when there was an opportunity to expand to new markets, well, I couldn't just wait to jump at the opportunity."

The Wizard glanced over at the other two men to gauge their reaction. They had a skeptical look on their faces. He then turned back to Sam and asked, "And you telling us this, because…"

Sam turned around and saw the crowd standing around the café. He then turned to the Wizard and said, "I'm looking to negotiate with the ruler of Oz – the _real_ ruler of Oz. Are you sure you want to talk with an audience around?"

The Wizard thought about Sam's question for a second, then got up and approached the crowd. As he talked to them, the third man asked Sam, "My friend here said you are a guest of Glinda the Good. Is that so?"

Sam nodded as he drank another swig of beer. "Yes sir. Arrived yesterday. I must say she is one smart lady. Pretty too."

The man just sneered. "I don't know if she's _that_ smart."

Sam then asked, "You don't think so? Why do you say that?"

The man leaned forward towards Sam. "The Wizard here? He was in charge of Oz. He had everything going just fine until that 'Glinda' chick showed up. She kicked him out of Oz and took over. As far as I'm concerned, she's the ruler of nothing."

The Wizard returned from the edge of the café patio. The crowd started to disburse. He sat down and said, "You know, even though I've been away from this place for a while, when you politely ask for some privacy, they still oblige." He then turned to Sam. "Now Mr. Finley. You're looking to do some trading here in Oz, but I'm not in charge. So, why are you talking to us if you're here to talk to Glinda?"

Sam leaned forward to the Wizard and quietly said, "Mr. Wizard, let me tell you something: I'm a business man. I know opportunities when they arise, and I also know when I need to cover _all_ of my bases. I may be talking to the current ruler of Oz but I want to make sure I'm talking to the _future_ ruler of Oz as well."

The Wizard bristled a bit. "Mr. Finley, I don't know what you're talking about."

Sam smiled, and so did Michael. They saw the discomfort in the Wizard's reply. Sam continued, "That's not what I hear. From what I've heard, I should be talking to you. You _are_ the 'Wonderful Wizard of Oz'?"

The Wizard smiled at this – it had been a while since he was called, "Wonderful".

Sam continued. "Besides, perhaps we can make a deal. If I will help you get back into the Palace, you could set me up with a 'business arrangement'. Perhaps you'll even be part of the board of my company."

The Wizard was too smart to just take an offer like that. "Tell me Mr. Finley, what's in it for you?"

Sam licked his lips (more for effect) and said, "Let's just say that I may be looking to relocate. There are certain…'events' occurring back home that may necessitate a move. If I'm going to move to a new place that I know nothing about, it's best to have friends in high places. Don't you agree?"

The Wizard was now intrigued. "Really? What kind of events?"

Sam breathed deep to relax (again for effect). "Last year, I was shipping some arms to a small rebel army. They wanted to overthrow their government. Unfortunately, the FBI got wind of it and now I'm under investigation."

The Wizard was amazed by 'Chuck Finley's' admission. Sam continued, "So, if I can 'relocate' to somewhere where the Feds can't find me, I would be…well…more than willing to 'help the cause'."

The Wizard sat back and considered this. Here was an absolute stranger coming up unsolicited and saying that he would help them. However, he _was_ a guest of Glinda's, could work from inside the palace, and could provide help that could tip the scales in his favor.

Sam sat back and took another swig of beer. Then he asked, "So, Wiz, what do you say?"

* * *

While Sam was chatting with the three men, Michael's cell phone rang. He was surprised that his phone actually worked in Oz. His surprise turned to discomfort when he saw the caller id: Mom.

He answered the phone. "Hi Mom. Listen…"

"OH MY GOD, MICHAEL! WHERE ARE YOU? ARE YOU OK?" She sounded hysterical.

Michael rolled his eyes. "Yes Mom, we're fine. We're all fine."

"Sam and Fiona are with you?"

_Oops. _"Yeah. We're..."

"But you're all ok? Because the news channel showed a story about a freak tornado just outside of Miami yesterday and a car that looked just like yours was pulled into it!"

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Having a neurotic, chain-smoking, hypochondriac mother has it's disadvantages. When she sees something on tv, whether it's a terrorist attack, automobile accident, or a story of a car being pulled into a tornado, she's instantly assumes the worst. Let's face it, my mom would have made a great N.S.A. communications operative. Drop me in the middle of the Gobi Desert, bury me in a cave on the moon, or stick me in a magical land, and somehow she'll still find a way to get a hold of me._

Michael grimaced. How was he going to explain this one? She'd never believe it.

Calmly, he replied, "Mom, we're all fine, we're ok. We're just on an assignment right now."

A sigh came from the other end of the phone.

He continued, "Listen, you may get a phone call from somebody verifying Sam's shipping company. Can you be ready?"

Madeline let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, I suppose so. Any idea who'll be calling?"

Michael was hesitant to answer. However, he replied, "The guy may call himself 'The Wizard'."

Madeline chuckled. "You're on assignment tracking somebody called, 'The Wizard'? Seriously, Michael, twisters and wizards, you would think you were in…"

It was then Michael realized she had put two and two together.

After a long pause, Madeline sternly said, "Michael, please don't tell me you are where I think you are."

"Well Mom, it's a long story."

"I'll bet. I'm…going to get some more cigarettes now."

And with that, the line went dead. Michael hung up the line and rolled his eyes.

"Great," he said sarcastically.

* * *

Back at the café, after some thought, the Wizard said, "Mr. Finley, let me consider your proposal."

Sam nodded. "Absolutely. I certainly hope we'll be in touch."

The Wizard pointed to the palace. "I'll definitely know where to reach you."

Sam then got up from the table and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you all." He smiled and then left the three men to ponder their conversation.

* * *

Glinda walked up to Michael on the balcony. "How is the plan coming along?"

Michael handed an extra pair of binoculars to Glinda and pointed to the café. "Sam's planted the seed – they'll just need some more convincing that they need his help."

Glinda looked at the men sitting there through the binoculars. She sighed as she realized that her head of security was sitting at the table. She shook her head. "I can't believe Pavel is working with the Wizard."

"Who's the other gentleman?"

Glinda nodded. "He's Raymond Shaz, the governor of the Emerald city. He's a real slimebag to work with."

Michael took note of this gentleman.

_Raymond Shaz  
Slimebag_

Michael also noticed that the Wizard pulled out a small, brown notebook, put Sam's business card in it, and wrote some notes in it.

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Keeping notes of allies and enemies is not uncommon as it helps keep you organized. It also acts as an insurance policy if one of your allies tries to burn you: if an ally tries to stab you in the back, you have enough information on them to bring them down with you. Of course, if your enemies get a hold of your notebook, it could make life a little more interesting._

"We need to look at that book. Fi, do you see it?"

Fiona had been watching from one of the shops and listening to Sam's conversation through her earpiece. She watched as the Wizard put the book back in his inside right jacket pocket. "Yeah, I see it. I'll see what I can do."

Fiona was about to head back into the palace but decided to do one more walk around the palace. From a distance, Fiona noticed a young couple approaching the back of the palace. The man looked like he was totally un-coordinated in his walk and wore an outfit that was fit for a scarecrow in the fields. The woman was dressed head to toe in black, wore black gloves, and had a black shawl covering her head. _It's too hot to be dressed that warm,_ Fiona thought. Then, she realized who it was.

She looked at the back doors of the palace and realized that a certain tin man saw this couple as well.

Fiona's smile dropped. "Oh no."

Michael heard Fiona remark. "Fi, what's wrong?"

"Michael, things just got a lot more complicated."

* * *

_**A/N: I was debating on leaving the phone call with Madeline in – didn't know if it was too cheesy or not. After some thought, I decided to leave it in. We may hear from Madeline in the future. **_

_**Please review and let me know what you think. Do you like the story so far? Do you think it stinks? Let me know. **_


	8. Unforseen Complication

Unforeseen Complication

Boq began his morning as he normally would – he wished everybody "good morning" as he walked through the grand hall, greeted the guards standing at the front entrance, and walked the perimeter of the palace. He did this every morning - not because it was his job, but it was important to him to keep an eye on things.

He thought about the day she asked him to come to the Emerald City:

_They had just waived Dorothy goodbye as she disappeared – probably went back to her home (Kansas, she called it). After saying goodbye to the 'not-so-cowardly' lion and the scarecrow 'with a brain' (who left saying he had to be somewhere), he found himself walking the yellow brick road alone. It was at this point he felt the weight of his predicament – he was a man of tin, and even though the Wizard had given him a new 'heart', he still felt empty inside. He was a man without a home – or purpose. Where was he going to go? What will he do now? Everything he knew had changed; nothing was familiar anymore. _

_It was a few clock ticks later he heard a woman's voice overhead: "Hey. You look lonely. Want some company?" _

_He looked up and saw Glinda floating beside him a few feet in the air. Oh, the sight of her made him smile. He didn't know why – it just did. Yet, he wanted to feel the love he had for her, but the feeling never came. He was so head-over-heels in love with this woman when he was younger – even if she never got his name right. They were alone now and here was his chance to tell her how he felt…except, right now, he couldn't feel it._

_He shook his head. "Nah, I'm good."_

_Glinda noticed something in his response, but couldn't quite place it. Longing? Loneliness? _

_She asked him, "Where are you going?" _

_Where was he going? Good question._

_He just kept walking. "You know…I really don't know. I just figure that when I get to where I want to be, I'll know it."_

_Then Glinda realized what he was feeling: lost. She softly called his name: "Boq."_

_He stopped and turned wide-eyed: it's the first time she ever got his name right._

_She continued. "I'm going to the Emerald City. I'd like you to come with me."_

Of course he accepted – who wouldn't? This was Glinda. Even if he couldn't feel his love for her, at least being close to her was enough.

So, he walked the grounds to be on the lookout for anything suspicious. Not because he had to – because he wanted to.

* * *

Fiyero couldn't believe what they were going to do. _Enter the Emerald City during the day? Were they nuts?_

He turned to Elphaba, "Are you really sure we need to do this now? Can't we go later?"

Elphaba was wearing a black dress that covered her arms and legs, black gloves and a black shawl over her face. She shook her head. "The palace closes up just before sundown. You won't be able to get anywhere near Glinda at that time."

"But you shouldn't have come with me. What if you get seen?"

She looked up at him. She was starting to get impatient. "Yero, we've been through this! She's my friend and she risked everything to help me. I _owe_ her."

Fiyero smiled and shook his head. _That's Fae – stubborn as all get out._

They approached the palace from a back alley. Fiyero turned to Elphaba and said, "Well, I am the only one who can go on from here."

She looked up at him and smiled. "I'll be waiting."

Fiyero turned to leave, but she grabbed his hand and pulled him back. "Yero…thank you."

He smiled as he walked towards the front of the palace. Elphaba made sure her head was covered with her veil and hid in the alley amongst the garbage cans and dumpsters. She would hide there until Fiyero came back.

However, her movements didn't go unnoticed.

Boq was watching the exchange from the rear of the palace. He recognized the scarecrow as the same scarecrow that helped him defeat the Wicked Witch of the West; but it was the scarecrow's companion that held Boq's interest. There was something peculiar about this person – the way this person dressed, the way every part of this person's body was covered from head to toe. This person _had_ to be hiding something.

Then a thought crossed Boq's mind: _It couldn't be…_

A couple of Gale Force guards were standing at the back door having a break from the day when Boq walked up to them. They saw Boq coming and stood to attention. "Good afternoon, sir."

Boq picked up one the guard's knives. "You two come with me."

The two guards picked up their pistols and followed Boq to the alley.

* * *

From a few feet away, a woman was watching the scene that was about to unfold.

"Oh no."

She heard a man's voice in a hidden earpiece she was wearing. "Fi, what's wrong?"

She replied, "Michael, things just got a lot more complicated."

"Talk to me, Fi. What do you see?"

"Michael, can you see a scarecrow heading along the west side towards the front door of the Palace?"

Michael focused his binoculars on the west side of the Palace. After a few seconds, Michael found the person Fiona had described. "Yeah, I got him."

"Well, his companion is hiding near the back of the palace and I think she's about to get arrested."

Michael felt a shiver wash over his body as he realized what Fiona meant. He ran to the other side of the Palace. Glinda was following right behind him. Chasing after him, she asked him, "What's going on?"

Michael looked through his binoculars and saw Boq walking towards an alley with two Gale Force guards beside them. He then scanned the alley to which they were heading. He groaned when he found a person completely covered in black hiding in the alley.

* * *

Boq had the guards hang back as he approached the person hiding in the alley. Elphaba heard some clanging footsteps coming towards her. She looked up and saw Boq as he turned the corner.

_Dammit_, she thought.

Boq approached the hooded person, "Excuse me. Are you ok?"

The hooded figure just nodded.

Boq shook his head. "You don't look like your ok. Are you hurt at all? Are you lost?"

Faking an old woman's voice, Elphaba replied, "I'm fine. I'm just tired – that's all."

Boq then replied, "Well…maybe it's from running all this time!"

With that, he pulled the shawl off of Elphaba's head revealing her emerald skin and long dark hair. She stood up to run, but Boq held the point of the knife to her throat. The Gale Force guards came around the corner with pistols aimed at her.

Boq smiled. "Well, well, well. You look great for a _dead_ witch."

* * *

Michael and Glinda had been watching the events unfold from the balcony. As soon as Elphaba's shawl was removed from her head, Glinda lowered her binoculars and started hyperventilating. "Oh Oz! Oh my Oz! OH MY OZ…"

Glinda collapsed to her knees with the shock of what she just witnessed. Michael turned to her and held her by the shoulders. "Glinda, breathe. Stay with me here. Focus. Breathe..."

"Oh Oz," she whispered as she looked up at Michael, tears forming in her eyes. "She's alive."

* * *

"Boq. You're looking…good," is all Elphaba could manage. _Well, that sounded intelligent,_ she chastised herself in her mind.

Boq pushed the knife towards her. "Save it. Alive or not, you're still an enemy of Oz and you're under arrest."

Elphaba began to shake. "Boq, hear me out. I know you're still feeling upset over what happened…"

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW I FEEL!" he yelled back. "Thanks to you, I can't feel anything." He then turned to the guards. "Take her away."

Suddenly, they heard a strange voice: "What's going on?"

Boq and the guards turned to see Fiona standing there. Boq asked her, "What are you doing here? This doesn't concern you."

That was the distraction Elphaba needed. She pushed Boq's hand away and ran the other direction in the alley. Boq, realizing she was getting away, yelled, "STOP!"

Unfortunately, the townspeople who were passing by on the other end of the alley stopped to look at the disturbance. They blanched when they saw Oz's number one enemy standing there – alive and well. A woman screamed and people started to scatter. "Oh Oz! She's back! The WICKED WITCH IS ALIVE!"

More people started to scream and hide in their houses. However, some of the men standing there grabbed some sticks and yelled, "Get her! Get the Wicked Witch!"

Elphaba had no choice but to run. She turned right down a side street trying to get away from the small civilian army now chasing her.

Fiona started running along a parallel street. "Michael, we're on the move!"

Michael looking in his binoculars said, "I can _see_ that!"

Elphaba ran as fast as she could. If she could just find a hiding place to wait out the group, she could leave under the cover of night. She could then head back to Kiamo Ko and wait for Fiyero there. Unfortunately, the more she ran, the more people saw her. Most woman and children started screaming and running away. However, some, seeing the mob chasing her, decided to join into the chase.

"GET THE WITCH! KILL THE WITCH!"

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Mob mentality refers to the behavioral tendency of people to act in unison with the group of which they are a part. When a large mob of people start chasing after someone, say the 'Wicked Witch of the West', you will usually have more volunteers than you want joining in._

Michael and Glinda watched the scene through their binoculars. They could see Elphaba as she pass through the open streets from the palace. She started to panic. "They'll tear her apart! We've got to do something!"

Michael didn't pay attention to what she said. He was busy guiding Fiona to Elphaba's whereabouts.

Suddenly, Elphaba turned right towards the palace. "Fi, she's heading your way. She's about a block ahead of you..." The mob followed her around the corner. "...and she's got a 'welcoming committee' behind her."

Fiona, still running, replied, "I hope you have a plan, Michael."

Michael grabbed Glinda's hand and ran to the balcony in front of the palace. He was trying to find a place where Elphaba could hide. Unfortunately, the front of the palace was teaming with people. He knew if Elphaba entered the perimeter of the palace, she'd have nowhere to go.

Then he saw at the fountains in front of the palace. That's when an idea formed in his head.

_(Michael Westen voiceover): A mob cannot be negotiated with. A mob cannot be controlled. However, if you're smart and subtle enough, you may be able to influence the decisions the mob makes._

"Fi, get her towards the front of the palace. Get some of the townspeople to help you throw her in the fountain."

Fi didn't understand. "What's that going to do?"

"If I'm right, it might buy us enough time to save her."

He then turned to Glinda. "Does this palace have any holding cells?"

Glinda nodded. "The basement used to be a prison. There are some jail cells still down there."

Michael then said, "Get downstairs - take some guards. When they throw her in, get her out and place her under arrest."

Glinda nodded, but before she left, he grabbed her hand. "There's one more thing. You'll need to address the mob down there."

"How?"

Fiona hid around the corner from the street Elphaba was running down. As soon as Elphaba came out, she grabbed Elphaba by the waist and picked her up. Elphaba was kicking and screaming, "Let me go!"

Fiona whispered in her ear. "Trust me on this - I'm here to help."

Some of the mob caught up to them. Fiona yelled at them, "The water! Help me get her into the water!"

They grabbed Elphaba by the arms and legs, ran over to the fountain in front of the palace and threw her in. The townspeople cheered as the Wicked Witch of the West would meet her demise in the fountains of the Emerald Palace. They would truly be free of her…

Or so they thought.

Elphaba emerged from the fountain coughing and sputtering. The townsfolk watched, surprised that she was not melting. The cheering started to fade and silence filled the air. Then they started to speak, one by one:

"She didn't melt!"

"Why is she not melting?"

"Why isn't it working?"

"Because it's a lie," Elphaba spat and coughed. "It's all lies!"

One of the men in the group jumped into the fountain and grabbed Elphaba. "Enough witch! We've had enough of your lies!"

And with that, he pushed her head under water. "You may not melt in water but you certainly can't breathe in it!"

Elphaba thrashed around desperately trying to get free. She held her breath as long as she could, but both the pain inside her lungs and the need to take a breath grew.

Suddenly, she was jerked up above the water again, coughing up water, desperately trying to get air. The man, full of hate, turned to her and yelled, "How does it feel to be terrorized, witch?"

And he forced her down again.

The feeling amongst the crowd that gathered changed from the need for redemption to concern over the events that were occurring before them. This _was_ the Wicked Witch of the West but drowning her seemed barbaric. A woman in the crowd ran up to the man. "Samuel, stop this!"

All of a sudden, a voice boomed from the palace. "STOP!"

Everybody turned to see Glinda running down the stairs of the palace, two Gale Force guards following behind her. "Let her up," she commanded. "NOW!"

He reluctantly did as he was told. Elphaba rose above the water, coughing and gasping for breath. She was completely disoriented due to the lack of oxygen in her system. However, she felt two sets of arms pull her up to her feet. Once her head cleared she realized that two Gale Force guards had picked her up and brought her face to face with Glinda.

Glinda looked at her friend – she was sopping wet, eyes red from being underwater, coughing and gasping for air. She looked at her friend's eyes, seeing the sorrow in them. Glinda couldn't believe it – her best friend was alive.

The two friends stood there for a few seconds – each one of them with shock on their faces.

Suddenly, Glinda's face hardened and she stood tall. She held out her hand and her wand appeared. She raised her wand and pointed it towards Elphaba and said, "_Somnus_".

A light came from the wand and landed on Elphaba. Elphaba's head fell forward and she fell asleep. Glinda turned to her guards. "Take her to the protected cell of the palace."

"Yes, your Goodness." And with that, they took Elphaba inside.

Samuel, still standing in the fountain, was incredulous. "You can't be serious. That's the Wicked Witch! You said she was dead!"

_(Michael Westen voiceover): It is impossible to deal with a mob when they are together. The best thing to do is to 'divide and conquer' – disperse the group and deal with individual people later. _

Glinda marched town to him. "What in Oz's name were you thinking?"

"She's the Wicked Witch!"

"And that justifies murder? Were you really willing to have her blood on your hands?"

Samuel stopped and thought about this for a few seconds. By the looks on his face Glinda could see he was struggling with his actions. Glinda got into the fountain and walked up to him. "Look, you're angry and I get it – you want justice." She then faced the crowd. "But this is not justice – this is murder. She is still a citizen of Oz, and will be treated as such. She will be tried for her crimes."

The crowd murmured at this statement. One of the women in the crowd asked, "What if she escapes? What if she uses her magic against us?"

Glinda answered, "She will be put into a spell protected by my magic. She cannot perform any spells, she cannot escape, and she cannot hurt you."

Glinda then got back onto the steps of the palace. "Now please, everybody go home. I will give you more information tomorrow."

With that, the crowd started to disburse. All except for a scarecrow who was trying to get her attention.

Glinda started to walk away back up the palace steps. She instructed her guards, "Lock up the palace."

Fiyero kept waiving and calling out, "Glinda!"

She didn't pay any attention; her mind was on the matters at hand.

Then Fiyero had an idea. He started to sing…

"_Dancing through life…skimming the surface…gliding where turf is smooth…_"

Glinda stopped and turned around, looking for who was singing.

"_Life's more painless...for the brainless…"_

Then she saw him and walked over. She joined Fiyero in singing: _"Life ain't so hard when it's so soothing…"_

She looked at his face: she had seen this scarecrow before – when they had said goodbye to Dorothy – but she never took a good look at him. Now, she _really_ looked at him, and even though he had a cloth face, she recognized him. "Fiyero?"

He smiled. "Yeah, it's me."

Her mouth dropped open. "You're a…no, _the_…" she stammered.

He arched his eyebrow. "Scarecrow?"

Mouth still agape in shock, Glinda replied, "Uh, yeah."

"Believe me, it's a long story."

Glinda flung herself at Fiyero wrapping her arms around him. "Oh sweet Oz! It so good to see you again!"

Fiyero hugged her back. "It's good to see you too."

After a moment of hugging, Fiyero pulled back. "Glinda, I need to talk to you."

She shushed him. "Not here…inside."

The two friends walked up the stairs into the palace before all the doors were closed and locked.

From a distance, the Wizard watched the entire proceedings. He mused to himself, "Such an unfortunate turn of events for you, my dear."


	9. Old Friends and a New Plan

**A/N – I know…I know…it's been a while since I've updated but I was off for a couple of weeks on vacation and had a major case of writer's block. Luckily, I figured out how to approach this next chapter during my vacation. Thanks for your patience.  
**

**

* * *

**

The sun was hanging low in the sky casting an orange glow over the land – evening had started to take over Oz. Michael, Fiona and Sam sat at the table in Sam's guest room. Sam drank a beer, Fiona drank some green cocktail, and Michael ate freshly made blueberry yogurt. Sam shook his head. "I hate to say this Mikey but this isn't good. I hung around outside after the 'Wicked Witch' decided to do her re-appearing act. Everybody's really freaked out. I mean we're talking all out petrified. Add to that, I saw the Wizard having a chat with a lot of people outside after 'Greenie's' arrest this afternoon."

Fiona sneered. "He's probably milking this for all it's worth."

Sam continued, "Bottom line, buddy, we'd better come up with a plan to deal with this, because I think we've got more problems now than we did this morning."

Michael hung his head. "Yeah, I know."

Then, Sam turned to Fiona and said, "I hate to admit it, but I think you're right – this is all real. There's no way all these people can _act_ that scared."

Fiona perked up. "Is that an admission you're _wrong_, Sam?"

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, but just don't let it get to that pretty little head of yours, Fi."

After some thought, Michael asked, "Do we know what's going to happen next with her?"

Sam shook his head. "No idea, but if you'd like, I can go ask some questions."

Michael nodded. "Please do, Sam."

Sam got up and left. Michael looked over at Fiona – she was lost in her own thoughts. He asked her, "What are you thinking, Fi?"

Fiona shook her head. "You know, we had a wonderful night out…fantastic dinner…enjoyed a Broadway musical…" She turned to him, "It wasn't just a fictional story, was it?"

Michael shook his head. "No, it wasn't. Somebody wanted these events brought to light."

* * *

Glinda sat alone in her room. She held a handkerchief in her hands that she was using to wipe the tears from her eyes. After the events of the day, she wanted to be alone and not disturbed by anybody. She sat on her bed; her mind reeling with different thoughts and memories of a year…

_I want you to leave Oz. I'll make the pronouncement myself: that the strains of wizardship have been too much for you and you are taking an indefinite leave of absence… _

What a year it had been: the day that she dismissed the Wizard, she wanted him to leave with his head high. With her explanation to the people, they wouldn't question his reasons for leaving. Morevoer, he would always be their 'Wizard'.

When Oz was healing from the Wizard's departure, or afraid of the Wicked Witch's return, or felt lost and hopeless, she was always there. She lent a smile, a song, or a hug when it was needed.

But behind closed doors, nobody saw the pain she carried. Every night for the first three months of Elphaba's 'death', she locked herself in her room and mourned the death of her friend alone. Every night for three months, she hoped that somewhere, somehow, Elphaba was alive. As the days past, her hope faded and she realized she needed to move on.

_Fellow Ozians, friends, we have been through a frightening time. There will be other times and other things that frighten us.  
But if you let me, I'd like to try to help. I'd like to try to be...Glinda the Good…._

And now, it seemed another of those 'frightening times' was upon them.

After some thought, Glinda got up from her bed, walked into the bathroom and splashed some water on her face. Then, she got a light blue robe and put it around her. Afterwards, she walked over to her dresser, opened one of the drawers, reached under the clothes in the drawer and pulled out a small cloth bag. She then grabbed a satchel, put the small bag into it, turned and left the room.

* * *

It has been about a half an hour before Sam came back to Michael. Michael asked him, "Any news?"

Sam nodded. "Talking to Pavel, I found out that Glinda has a meeting with a judge tomorrow. Apparently, Greenie is going to be arraigned tomorrow morning."

Fiona walked into the room. She slapped Sam lightly on the arm. "Be nice. Her name is Elphaba."

Sam shrugged. "Well, they're trying to find somebody to represent Elphaba. To be honest, it's going to be tough as pretty much everybody here is afraid of the 'Wicked Witch of the West'."

Michael immediately said, "That won't be a problem. I'll represent her."

Sam and Fiona looked at him with surprise. Sam then asked, "Mike, are you sure? Won't this sort of blow our cover if we look impartial?"

Michael shook his head. "Not if we do this right. You can't be involved in this Sam; this is something I'll do alone."

Michael then noticed Fiona's 'unimpressed' look on her face. He quickly added, "…with Fi's help, of course."

Fiona flashed him a 'sweet' smile.

Michael continued. "Sam, you keep playing along as 'Chuck Finley'. As far as you're concerned, this will provide a good distraction to the people so you and the Wizard can make your plans."

Sam nodded. "I think I see where you're going with this, Mikey."

Fiona then asked, "Michael, you're not familiar with Ozian law. How are you going to pull it off?"

Michael smiled his million-dollar smile. "We're going to have to do some research." He put out his arm for Fiona. "Shall we head to the library?"

She smiled and linked her arm in his and the two of them headed to the library.

Sam called out, "Good luck."

* * *

Elphaba slowly awoke, feeling groggy. It took her a few clock ticks for her to realize that she was on a cot with a blanket over her. She also noticed that her dress was hanging on a hanger from one of the bars that blocked a small window in the door.

Panic started to take over her: _Oh, sweet Oz, I'm naked!_

She quickly looked under the blanket, noticed she was wearing a white night gown and let out a sigh of relief.

Then she remembered the events earlier in the day. She remembered being chased by the crowds, being held underwater and being "rescued" by Glinda before it was too late. The last thing she remembered was that Glinda performed a spell that knocked her out. _It was one heck of a spell_, she thought.

Looking around her room, she noticed a few small rectangular windows near the ceiling that was letting the evening light into the room. It was a small room – big enough to have a bed and minimal facilities. The walls and floor were stone, and when she stepped out onto the floor, she realized she had nothing on her feet and the floor was cold.

She then heard the rattling of a set of keys – somebody was coming in. She jumped back onto the bed and covered herself with the blanket as the door opened. A guard brought a torch in and put it in one of the torch holders on the wall. He then stepped back out and Glinda walked in.

She turned to the guard. "Leave us. I will call you when I need you."

He nodded and closed the door.

The two friends stared at each other for what seemed an eternity with an awkward silence. Glinda was the first to speak. "You look good."

Elphaba just smiled and nodded.

More silence.

Elphaba then asked, "Do I have you to thank for this nightgown?"

Glinda nodded.

Silence again.

Elphaba was about to speak when Glinda blurted out, "Why didn't you tell me you were alive?"

Elphaba could see her friend's eyes start to tear up. She was about to respond again when Glinda reached into the satchel and pulled out the small cloth bag. In the bag was a small green bottle – _Elphaba's _green bottle. Glinda was upset when she said, "I mourned for you for _three months_ after I thought you died! I held onto this bottle every night hoping for _anything_ that would tell me you were alive! _THREE MONTHS!_"

Elphaba jumped when Glinda shouted, but the anger started to build within her. She retorted saying, "What in Oz name was I _supposed_ to do, Glinda? EVERYBODY in Oz hated me! EVERYBODY wanted me dead! So, what, you wanted me to just waltz right up to you and say, 'Hey Glin, it's OK. I'm alive.' Is that what you wanted? You've been mourning for three months – I've been living in Hell for a YEAR! Do you even _know_ what I've been through for the last year? And you...you're 'Glinda the Good' for crying out loud! You're life turned out just fine!"

Glinda was indignant. "What? My life turned out fine? I had to pick up the pieces all by myself after the Wizard left! I was there for all of Oz but there was nobody there for me!"

"Well, at least nobody's singing about your death! Do you know hard it is to listen to those stupid* songs every day? No, you don't! Everybody _loves_ you! You're the great leader of Oz. You've got a whole country to love you!"

"BUT THEY'RE NOT MY BEST FRIEND!"

Glinda's shouting retort caused Elphaba to jump. Each of them could see in the torch light that the other woman's eyes were full of tears. They were both hurting and they both knew it.

It was some time before Glinda broke the silence between them. Tears streaked down Glinda's face as she said, "I really missed you, Elphie. I missed our friendship. It's been a long year and I really needed your friendship."

Elphaba couldn't hold back her own sobs, "I've missed you too, Glinda!"

And the two friends embraced each other sobbing.

* * *

_(Michael Weston voiceover): As a spy, you expect you may have to deal with the legal system in another country. Most times, though, there isn't a simple book that explains the country's system to you. So, you read anything you can get your hands on: old case files, textbooks, or even history books. If you can find out how their legal system works, you may find something to use to your advantage._

It had been a few hours, and the time was approaching midnight. Michael and Fiona were sitting at one of the library's tables combing through anything that they could get their hands on. Michael was reading about "Discovery" from a law book while Fiona was reading an old case history book.

Without looking up, Michael said, "Fi, I think I've got something."

Fiona stopped reading her book and sat beside him. He continued, "According to this, the first thing that happens in a trial is a 'Discovery' process where both the prosecution and defense ask questions to determine if a trial is necessary."

Fiona looked at the section that Michael was reading. After reading it, she commented, "It almost sounds like a 'Grand Jury' trial."

Michael nodded, but then added, "Yeah, but in Oz it's held in front of a judge."

Fiona kept reading aloud, " '…most Discovery trials are done behind closed doors; however, a public Discovery trial is not unheard of. In the case of _Oz. vs. Powell, _the defendant, a notorious criminal, opted for a public Discovery trial. Members of the community were permitted into the courtroom during the proceedings...' "

She got up and walked over to the other side of the table, grabbing a book she was reading. "I remember reading about his court case in this book…"

She flipped to the pages where the Powell case was written. She handed it to Michael who quickly read the case history. After he finished reading the case history, Fiona asked him, "Michael, are you thinking of a public Discovery?"

Michael nodded. Fiona continued. "Do you think it will work?"

It was then that Michael flashed back to the night of their date:

"_How would you have handled the situation?"_

_"Simple: expose the truth - show him to be a fraud."_

_"And how would you do that, sir?"_

_"Get the truth out to the public as much as possible. News media, public spectacle, word of mouth…whatever it took."_

He smiled. "Yeah, the more public we can make it, the better."

* * *

Glinda and Elphaba sat in the cell for over a couple of hours talking. Glinda had opened the satchel she brought and gave Elphaba some food she brought – a small loaf of bread, some fruits, cheese and water. It wasn't much, but for Elphaba, it might as well been a banquet.

Glinda talked about the year that passed and how she assumed a leadership role in Oz. She talked extensively about the "Animal Re-integration" program she created as she knew this was a subject near and dear to Elphaba's heart. Lastly, she talked about the events of the last few days with the Wizard's return to Oz.

While Glinda talked, Elphaba noticed that her friend had changed - she was not the "bubbly blonde" anymore but a more mature woman. It seemed that leadership had done Glinda some good. However, she also noticed how tired Glinda looked as if the whole weight of Oz was on her shoulders.

When Elphaba talked, she told Glinda about Fiyero coming to Kiamo Ko to "rescue" her. She talked about the painful decision not to tell Glinda they were alive, and their number of attempts to escape Oz. Glinda noticd her friend looked tired and exhausted and had lost some weight; yet, Elphaba didn't come across as dark and hard as she was before.

After Glinda heard her friends story, she said, "Elphie, I understand your decision, but there's a small part of me that wishes you let me know."

Elphaba nodded her head. "I wanted to tell you that we were alive but we were concerned for your safety. How would Oz react if they found out their leader's best friend was the 'Wicked Witch of the West'?"

Glinda chuckled. "Not well, I would think."

Elphaba laughed out loud. "Now _that's_ the understatement of the year."

Both friends laughed a little. Glinda then smiled and said, "It's great to see you Elphie."

Elphaba leaned over and hugged her friend. "It's great to see you too, Glin."

After a few seconds, Elphaba pulled back and had a serious look on her face. "Glinda, tell me the truth: what's going to happen to me?"

* * *

Michael walked down to the basement holding a few books from the library in his hand. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw a barred door and a couple of guards standing there. The basement walls looked like they were pure concrete. There were small windows just underneath the ceiling to let some daylight and air into the rooms; however, since it was nighttime, the only light in the hallway came from lit torches placed in metal holders along the wall.

He walked up to the guards. "I'm here to see the 'Wicked Witch of the West.'"

The two guards looked at him with surprise but remained still. One of them asked, "Excuse me?"

Michael rolled his eyes and added, "I'm her _lawyer_."

The two guards looked at each other again. One of them nodded to his companion, and the other guard turned and unlocked the barred door. He escorted Michael down the hall to another barred door with two more guards standing there. As they walked, Michael noticed a number of empty cells, all of which were surrounded by concrete walls with small windows in them like he had seen in the hallway.

When they reached the second door, the guards had a quick discussion amongst themselves. Then, they opened the second door for Michael. Once through the door, they were in a hallway. They turned left towards the end of the hall where another barred door stood guarded by two more guards.

_These guys aren't taking any chances,_ Michael thought.

The guard escorting Michael said to the two guards standing there, "This man wants to see the prisoner. He says he's her lawyer."

One of the guards standing there said, "I will notify Her Goodness." With that, he opened the door and walked in.

The other guard stationed at the door turned to Michael and said, "You're her lawyer? Man, I'd hate to be saddled with that gig."

Michael just smiled in reply.

The first guard emerged through the door again and motioned for Michael to follow him. They walked through the door into a narrow hallway that led to a wooden door with bars in the window. The guard unlocked and opened the door for Michael.

* * *

Fiyero couldn't sleep. He always thought it was odd since a scarecrow shouldn't need to sleep. However, he found himself sitting on a bench in the grand hall dozing off.

It wasn't long before he heard the clanging of metal against the Hall floor. This woke him from his stupor. He looked up and saw Boq walking by. He called to him, "Hey, Boq."

Boq looked over at the scarecrow…but then turned away and kept on walking.

Fiyero got up and chased after the tin munchkin. "Hey man, what's up?"

Boq didn't stop walking. He didn't even look up.

Fiyero was starting to lose his patience. He grabbed Boq's shoulder and spun him around. "Boq, what's your problem?"

Without looking at Fiyero, he said coldly, "We have nothing to discuss."

Fiyero was dumbfounded. "Wait just a clock tick...we haven't seen each other for a year and all you have to say is, 'We have nothing to discuss'? What's up with you?"

Boq stopped and looked at him coldly. "You were with _her_. You were with a known enemy of Oz. Since you two seemed so close, one would logically deduce that you have been together since the events of last year. That means for the last year you were harboring a fugitive from justice. As far as I'm concerned, you're just as wicked as she is."

Fiyero couldn't believe his ears. "What? You still holding a grudge for a _year_?"

Boq started walking again. "This isn't about me..."

"Bull!" Fiyero interrupted him causing Boq to turn and look at him. "You're still angry about the fact she turned you into the Tinman. She told me all about that day - on how she was _trying to save your life_! You know what's so funny? Not once did you ever ask why she did it."

Boq replied emotionless, "I don't care. She ruined my life and I will never forgive her for it."

Boq turned and walked away from Fiyero again. Fiyero yelled out to him, "OK, Mr. Logical, answer me this: if she's so wicked and powerful, why has she been _hiding_ all this time? Plus, if she's the number one enemy of Oz and hiding from everybody, don't you even want to know why she came back?"

Boq didn't answer for him; he just continued walking, leaving Fiyero standing there shaking his head.

* * *

Elphaba and Glinda looked up from their conversation when Michael walked in. After the guard closed the door and left, he extended a hand to Elphaba. "Good evening, Miss Thropp. My name is Michael Westen."

She shook his hand but eyed him carefully. She was concerned that he knew her name. She was more concerned as to why he was being so nice to her.

Glinda noticed this. "Don't worry Elphie. He's a friend. I brought him here to help me."

Elphaba was surprised. "Really! How did you do it?"

"Let's just say by an 'unexpected twister of fate'," Michael joked.

Elphaba was even more surprised. She turned to Glinda and said, "You brought him here...using a meterological spell..."

Glinda nodded with a great big grin on her face.

Elphaba then smiled and said, "You've been practicing your magic."

Glinda just nodded smiling. Then, she turned to Michael asked, "Michael, why are you here? They said to us, 'your lawyer is here to see you'."

Michael nodded. He turned to Elphaba and said, "I have an idea on how we can help you, Miss Thropp. I'd like to talk to you about your upcoming court appearance."

Elphaba replied back, "Please call me 'Elphaba'. And," turning to Glinda, said, "I told you not to clear my name. You promised you wouldn't."

Michael spoke before Glinda could say anything. "Miss Glinda didn't know I was doing this – this was something I was doing for a couple of reasons."

Glinda was curious. "Such as?"

Michael replied, "Not only do we get Miss Th…_Elphaba's_ story out to the public, we can expose the Wizard as the fraud he is. That way, Glinda, you won't have to worry about the Wizard being on your back anymore."

This intrigued Elphaba. "Really?"

Michael nodded.

"All right, I'm listening."

The two women sat in silence after hearing Michael's plan. Michael could see they were thinking over his plan as he described it. After a few moments silence, Elphaba asked him, "So if I do this, you think we can expose the Wizard's deeds? You're planning on completely outing him in public?"

Michael smiled and said, "Embarrassment city."

She smiled and nodded her head. "OK. I'll do it."

_Elphaba Thropp  
__aka Wicked Witch of the West  
Client_

_

* * *

_

The next morning, Glinda stood in the Grand Hall of the Palace, dressed in her royal blue dress and wearing her snowflake crystal tiara. She stood waiting for the judge and prosecutor to arrive at the Palace for their meeting. After a few minutes, a man walked into the Palace wearing a lavender suit with a white shirt and dark purple tie. Although he was middle-aged, he was well built and his head was full of brown hair mixed with grey.

Glinda offered her hand to him. "Mr. Bal. Thank you for coming."

The man took her hand and shook it. "A pleasure, Your Goodness," he replied.

Mr. Simon Bal was Oz's most successful prosecutor. He had been a lawyer for about 15 years and had an extremely high success rate for guilty convictions. He was well known for putting many of Oz's most notorious criminals behind bars in Southstairs prison. All of Oz's hopes rode on this man.

Just then, an older man wearing a large black robe entered the Palace. This man was much older than the prosecutor and was completely bald. He also shook Glinda's hand. "Your Goodness."

Glinda smiled. "Judge Falconer, thank you for coming so soon."

Mr. Bal asked Glinda, "Does the defendant have representation?"

Glinda nodded confidently. "Yes, she does."

Both men looked at her with amazement. Judge Falconer then said, "So soon? I am surprised that she could find _anybody_ to represent her."

Mr. Bal concurred. "I would like to meet the person who has this unfortunate task."

Glinda looked over to the stairs entering the Grand Hall from the upper floors. She smiled, and motioning towards the stairs, replied to the men, "As a matter of fact, here he is now."

**The two men watched as Michael descended the stairs, wearing a dark navy blue suit with a light blue shirt underneath, unbuttoned at the top without a tie, and wearing his trademark sunglasses. He had a briefcase in his hand and he walked across the Hall towards them with an air of confidence.

He walked up to the men and shook their hands and flashed them his million-dollar smile. "Gentlemen, my name is Michael Westen. I will be representing Miss Elphaba Thropp in this matter. Shall we begin?"

* * *

"No! Absolutely not!" bellowed Simon Bal. "I will not be part of a circus show!"

The Judge nodded. "I agree. Think of the security and safety concerns."

Michael had just told them that he wanted a "Public Discovery" for all of Oz to witness the proceedings. As he expected, the idea was not met warmly.

Glinda replied to Mr. Bal and the Judge's objections to the idea. "We can use the Grand Ballroom of the Palace for the proceedings, and the Gale Force will provide needed security. All spectators and participants will be thoroughly searched to make sure no weapons are brought into the room."

The Judge then asked, "But what of her magic powers? What if she bewitches us all and escapes?"

Glinda smiled. "I will provide protection against her powers."

Michael then asked Mr. Bal, "Are you afraid of what will come out of Discovery?"

Mr. Bal sneered. "I'm not worried about what testimony will be brought out. I don't want this to become some public freak show!"

Michael shook his head. "Neither do I. We just want all of the testimony brought out to light for all of Oz to hear."

Judge Falconer then asked, "Mr. Westen, do you realize what you're asking for? In the history of Oz, there have only been two public Discovery sessions, and both of them ended badly for the defendants."

Michael nodded. "My client and I are aware of the risks and we are willing to take our chances."

The Judge considered this for a few seconds before turning to the prosecutor. "Mr. Bal? What do you think?"

Mr. Bal shrugged. "If he's willing to take the risk, and Miss Glinda can provide the protection she says she can, then I have no objections."

The Judge then asked, "How long will you need to find your witnesses?"

Mr. Bal replied, "I can clear my calendar for the next four days to interview potential witnesses. After that, I should be ready to begin."

The Judge then turned to Michael. "Mr. Westen?"

Michael nodded. "Four days is sufficient for me as well."

The Judge then stood up and said, "So be it." He looked at Glinda and said, "Your Goodness, I expect you will have all necessary preparations complete?"

Glinda nodded. "Yes, your Honor."

"Then, we shall begin in four days."

* * *

A large crowd had gathered in front of the Emerald Palace, including citizens and journalists. An announcement went out from the Palace that Glinda the Good was going to announce how the 'Wicked Witch of the West' would be dealt with. This created a large buzz in all of Oz and everybody was dying to know.

Glinda saw the crowd from her balcony; it felt like a large flutter of butterflies infested her stomach. The nervousness was evident; Michael put a hand on her shoulder causing Glinda to jump when he did this. She calmed herself and said to him, "Sorry, just a little nervous. That's all."

Michael smiled. "You'll do fine. Just remember prepared and you'll do fine."

Steeling herself and standing resolute, she nodded and then left to face the crowd.

The front doors of the palace opened, and the din of the crowd silenced to a whisper. Photographers took many pictures as Glinda walked down the stairs to a podium near the bottom. She stood at the podium and began her statement:

"Fellow Ozians…friends, it was a frightful day yesterday when we learned that the person Oz fears the most is alive. We all believed that she had died at the hands of a young farm girl almost a year ago. Now we know that was not true. I know a lot of you are afraid – to be honest, I don't blame you. I can assure you that I will protect you from harm."

A voice called out from the crowd. "How can you be so sure?"

The crowd gasped as it turned around to see who asked the question. Glinda also looked over to where the voice came from. She was dismayed to realize it came from the Wizard, who was standing at the rear of the crowd with Governor Shaz beside him.

Fiona and Michael were watching from Glinda's balcony when they heard the Wizard's question. Fiona turned to Michael and said, "You know, this guy is _really_ starting to get on my nerves. Why don't we just shoot him and get this over with?"

Michael turned to her and responded, "Trust me, I've considered it, but I want to make his humiliation as big as possible, Fi, which means we need him _alive_."

Fiona just humphed and continued watching the proceedings.

Glinda smiled a sweet smile as she responded to his question: "She is being kept in the most secure cell of the palace. The cell is guarded all day and all night and is surrounded by magic so she cannot perform any spells or cause any harm."

She continued her speech, "Of course, as all of you know, she is a citizen of Oz, and Ozian law requires that all criminals be tried before a court of law. We do not expect any less for any other citizen. However, the defense has asked for a 'Public Discovery'."

The crowd murmured at this statement – was the Wicked Witch of the West _really _going to have her trial be made public?

Glinda continued. "As you know, there haven't been many public Discovery sessions in Ozian history but they _are_ allowed by Ozian law. As such, we will be opening the Palace's Grand Ballroom for all who wish to witness the trial."

One of the journalists in the area asked, "Miss Glinda, when will the trial begin?"

"The trial will begin in four days."

The Wizard then asked, "Are you not concerned about security and the safety of those watching?"

"Both the Gale Force and myself will make sure that nobody is harmed in any way."

Another journalist asked, "Do you fear any vigilantism against the 'Wicked Witch'?"

Glinda replied, "Gale Force will ensure the safety of _all_ participants, including the defendant."

She then finished, "Thank you all for coming. We will see you in four days." With that, she turned and left.

The crowd was truly buzzing after the announcement. They would finally get to hear the charges brought against Oz's worst enemy and see justice be done.

As for the Wizard, he was absolutely giddy. Shaz couldn't understand. He asked the Wizard, "What's got you so happy?"

The Wizard was just relishing this moment. "Oh, don't you see? For a year, all of Oz believed the 'Wicked Witch of the West' was dead, and now here she is, alive and well, and she's getting a _public trial_!" He rubbed his chin. "Oh, this is so delicious. We can definitely use this to our advantage."

Shaz started to smile. "How?"

The Wizard nodded, "We can use her trial to turn the public against Glinda, especially if they find out they used to be roommates back at Shiz. Not to mention, everybody will be so pre-occupied with the trial, we can start to make our moves and nobody will notice."

Shaz smiled and nodded. "I like it."

The Wizard looked around, and seeing they were alone, turned to Shaz and said, "Come on, we need to get started."

The two men hurried off. What they didn't realize was, in fact, they weren't alone for their conversation. Sam was hiding around the corner, listening to the entire conversation. He opened his phone, dialed a few numbers, and then spoke:

"Mikey, looks like the Wizard's making his move."

* * *

**A/N – * I wanted to use another word instead of "stupid" here, but I figured it might ruin the story rating. :)**

**** How about a little entrance music for Michael as he meets the judge/prosecutor? Here's what I was thinking: ****utube\watch?v=TCpBy1zPcDo**

**Hey all, let me feel the love. While your reviews keep me motivated, I want to know what you honestly think, good or bad. Thanks.  
**


	10. Research

**A/N - Thanks for your reviews guys. And now for the latest chapter...**

**Disclaimer: I own neither Burn Notice nor Wicked. If I did, I'd be jet setting around the world...**

* * *

After the announcement was finished, Glinda ordered the doors to the Emerald Palace to be closed for the rest of the day. She figured nobody would want to go near the place thanks to its latest 'tenant'. She walked into the Grand Hall smiling at Michael as he stood waiting for her. He smiled back to her and said, "You did great. Nice work answering the questions, too."

"Thank you," she replied back. "Thanks for your coaching."

"No problem."

Glinda then had a serious look on her face. "So, what's our first step?"

They were interrupted by Pavel who walked up to them. He motioned towards Fiyero as he said, "I'm sorry for the intrusion, your Goodness, but the…'scarecrow' over there says he needs to talk to you urgently."

Glinda remembered she hadn't had a chance to talk to Fiyero since his arrival. She smiled at Pavel and said, "That's fine, Pavel. I will see him now."

Pavel nodded and walked over to Fiyero to let him know Glinda would talk to him. When Fiyero walked up, she gave him a great big hug which he returned. She then turned to Michael and said, "Michael, this is Fiyero Tiggular, prince of the Vinkus and old friend from University. Fiyero, this is Michael Westen: he's here to help us with some 'problems' we're having?"

They shook hands. "Pleased to meet you," Michael said.

Fiyero replied, "Likewise." Then he turned to Glinda. "Have you seen Fae? Is she ok?"

Glinda nodded. "She's fine, Fiyero. We're taking good care of her."

He breathed a sigh of relief. When she was captured in front of the palace, he thought he would lose her forever.

He missed her.

Fiyero then asked Glinda, "Is there a private place to talk? Fae and I found something on Old Kiamo Highway a few days ago."

Michael asked him, "What did you find?"

He leaned in and said to them, "Apparently, the Wizard's got a warehouse along there. We overheard some guards talking about hoarding supplies for a bridging project."

Glinda thought about this for a second. _A bridging project, _she wondered. Then it hit her. "The bridge repairs over the Dormon River in Quadling Country. The bridge there was damaged beyond repair after the last set of storms."

Michael looked around the Grand Hall and noticed that they were being watched by Governor Shaz. Michael interrupted their conversation. "Uh, may I suggest, your Goodness, that we heed Mr. Tiggular's advice and find a _private_ place to chat? Perhaps one of our suites?"

He nodded towards the Governor's location. When Glinda saw what Michael was referring to, she agreed to his suggestion. She led Fiyero to the stairs with Michael a few feet behind them. Michael pulled out his phone, pushed a few buttons and, after a few seconds, quietly said, "Sam, where are you?"

Outside of the Emerald Palace, Sam had been keeping an open eye and ear as to the goings on after the trial announcement. He replied to Michael, "Outside the front, buddy, listening in to the latest gossip here. What's up?"

"I may need your help Sam. Meet me at my suite."

"You got it."

Michael hung up and, as he got to the second floor, saw Fiona standing outside of the library. He motioned for her to follow, and she nodded in understanding.

* * *

Once the five of them were in Michael's suite, Fiyero described to the group the events that occurred a few nights before:

"Fae and I were walking back towards Kiamo Ko using the Old Kiamo Highway. We travelled that way because the highway is not used much anymore. We weren't too far into Winkie when we heard some voices. So, we hid and discovered the voices belonged to some guards standing by a rather large warehouse a fair distance back from the road. They talked about how the Wizard was storing stuff there until you're no longer in control of Oz."

Fiona asked him. "Did you see what they were storing?"

"When we got there, they were carrying in lumber that was to be used for rebuilding a bridge. I don't know if there's more than that in there or not – we really didn't stick around to look."

Sam shook his head. "You know, I'm liking this Wizard less and less."

Michael ignored him. "Do you remember where you saw this warehouse?" When Fiyero nodded, Michael then asked him, "Do you think you can take us to it?"

"Are you thinking of paying a visit?" Fiona asked.

Michael pointed between himself and Fiona. "_We_ need to start getting ready for trial first." He then turned to Sam. "Sam, can you go with Fiyero and do some scouting for us?"

Sam nodded. "Sure thing."

Fiyero interjected, "It's about a day's journey away. It's going to take a long time to get there."

Glinda smiled. "Perhaps not."

With that, she put her fingers into her mouth and let out a loud whistle – loud enough that everybody was making sure their hearing wasn't damaged. Suddenly, a winged monkey wearing a red jacket, beige vest and black pants flew through the window into the room. Michael was amazed at the sight of the winged creature. Fiona smiled with excitement. Sam looked at the creature with abhorrence.

The monkey came up to Glinda. "Miss Glinda call…Chistery come."

Glinda motioned towards the group. "Chistery, these are my friends." She motioned towards each of them. "This is Michael, Fiona and Sam." Motioning towards Fiyero, she asked him, "You remember Fiyero, don't you?"

Chistery nodded. He said in broken English, "I'm sorry…about…Miss Elphie."

Fiyero nodded; the mention of Elphaba's name made him miss her more. "Thank you Chistery."

Glinda continued, "I need you and some of your friends to take Sam and Fiyero somewhere. Can you do that?"

Chistery enthusiastically nodded, but Sam raised his hands in protest. "Uh, hold up a second. You mean we'll be travelling by _winged monkey?_" he asked horrified.

Michael called Sam and motioned to him to take the conversation away from the table. They walked to the corner of the room where Sam was wary of the idea. Sam whispered, "Hey Mike, I don't mind the whole flying bit, but there's no way I'm going by 'Flea-Bag Airlines'! We don't know where these creatures have been!"

Michael turned to his friend. "Sam, we need you to get there as soon as possible."

Sam continued his protest. "Yeah, but surely Glinda can help us get there."

"I need Glinda _here_ to start getting ready for trial," Michael replied. "Sam, don't worry about these 'creatures', there's nothing wrong with them. They're only monkeys with wings on their back."

"_Only, _Mike? You really want me to fly with a winged monkey?"

Michael gave Sam 'the look' which Sam interpreted to mean 'this conversation is over'. Sam huffed in defeat and said, "Fine. But if I get any foreign diseases, you owe me,"

Michael smiled. "Thank you Sam."

The two men sat back down around the table. Michael turned to Fiyero. "You mentioned you were heading towards Kiamo Ko, correct?"

"That's where we live," Fiyero replied.

"I need you to do me a favor: once you've dropped Sam off at the warehouse, I need you continue to Kiamo Ko and bring me anything that would help in defending Elphaba. Things like her old school notes, exam scores, commendations, letters, train tickets…anything you can find."

Fiyero nodded. "I'll bring anything that I can to help Fae."

Sam took about fifteen minutes to gather some supplies before he met up with the group again. They decided that Sam and Fiyero would head to the edge of town separately; that way, they would not to be seen walking out of the Palace together and raise any suspicions. When they got to the edge of town, Chistery and his friends would pick them up and fly them to the warehouse's location (Michael figured it would be better if nobody saw them flying from the Emerald Palace). Michael, Fiona and Glinda wished the two adventurers good luck as they departed.

In the meantime, Michael and Glinda went and visited Elphaba again. He wanted to hear her version of the events that lead to her becoming the "Wicked Witch". Even though Michael knew the story from the musical, he was looking for any information that may not have been written into the performance.

* * *

Elphaba woke up that morning with the sunshine coming through the small windows. She noticed a blue dress hanging from the torch holder which she quickly got changed into. It was some time after breakfast when she heard the sound of keys turning. Her door opened and Michael and Glinda walked into her cell.

Glinda dismissed the guard, who closed the door behind him. After wishing each other good morning, Michael got down to business. He had a notebook and pen ready to write down notes. He had to make sure that he phrased his questions carefully so he didn't let the two women know he had some idea of their history. "I need to tell me your entire history with the Wizard - starting from the beginning."

Elphaba was concerned. "Won't the guards hear us talking?"

Glinda shook her head. "The room is protected by magic, so anything that's said here won't be heard out there," motioning towards the door.

With that, Elphaba started explaining her story. "The first time I had a chance to meet the Wizard is when the headmistress of our university wrote to him about me."

"Headmistress?" Michael asked.

"Headmistress of Shiz University – Madame Morrible".

"We called her 'Horrible Morrible'," Glinda joked.

That was a perfect opening for Michael. "So, you two went to the same university?"

Elphaba nodded. "We were roommates at Shiz."

Michael smiled when he asked, "And when you first realized you were roommates, how did you feel about it?"

Glinda and Elphaba both looked at each other and let out a small laugh. Elphaba replied, "I think it can be summed up in one word…"

Glinda didn't even give her a chance to finish her statement. She laughed and sang the word, "_Loathing!_"

Elphaba turned back to her friend smiling brightly. "_Unadulterated loathing!_"

"_For your face..._"

"_Your voice_..."

"_Your clothing…_"

Then the two women sang together, "_Let's just say…I loathe it all!_"

The two women couldn't continue as they dissolved into fits of giggles. Michael smiled at this fun. He realized that these two women were rekindling their friendship; it was good to see the two women start to relax.

The conversation went on for a few hours as Elphaba continued her story, including Fiyero's arrival at Shiz, the dance at the Ozdust, Glinda's hat gift to Elphaba, how Elphaba got Glinda into sorcery class and how the two of them became friends. Elphaba also explained much to Glinda's embarrassment…

"No! You're not going to tell him that! Are you?" Glinda asked horrified.

Elphaba grinned an evil grin. Ignoring her, she told Michael, "So she does it this way…" Clearing her throat, dropping her hands to her side and taking deep breaths, she then flicked her hair with her hands saying, "Toss toss."

The three of them laughed at Elphaba's demonstration. Glinda turned around and said, "You still need practice!"

Elphaba then said, "Then there was trying to make my dress in to a 'ball gown…"

"Oh Oz," Glinda groaned as she put her now blushing face into her hands to cover up her embarrassment.

After reminiscing about the first night they were friends, Elphaba continued her story about how she got notice from Morrible that the Wizard wanted to meet her.

It was almost afternoon when Elphaba started to talk about their time in the Emerald City. It was the moment when Elphaba mentioned that the Wizard gave her the Grimmerie that he stopped her. He said to her, "Do you still have this book?"

Glinda answered that one. "We have it locked in a special room in the library."

Michael nodded. "I need to see this book. We may be able to use it as evidence."

"Well, let me show you where it is."

Since it was approaching the afternoon and they had been talking all morning, the three of them decided to take a break for a while. Glinda gave Elphaba a hug and she and Michael left to go to the library.

When they got there, they saw Fiona sitting at a table doing some reading. When Fiona saw them, she asked, "What's up?"

Michael winked at her. "We're going to see 'The Grimmerie'."

_That_ got Fiona's attention – she got up from her seat and joined her companions.

Glinda walked up to a wooden door with two locks on it. She then used a couple of keys to open the locks. Glinda opened the door into a round room about ten feet in diameter. Light shone through the top through skylights and in the middle of the room was a wooden pedestal with a black book on it.

Glinda walked up to it and opened the book to the first page for Michael and Fiona to see: _La Grimmerie_. Fiona looked in awe. "May I look?"

Glinda smiled. "Of course."

Fiona walked up, opened the Grimmerie and touched the pages. She could feel an energy emanating from the pages. As she flipped through the pages, Michael asked her, "So this book? You got it from the Wizard? Did he say where he got it from?"

Glinda shook her head. "He said he had this book for a long time but couldn't read it. He said it was '_written in the lost language of spells'_."

Then Michael had a thought. "Would he have stored it here in the library?"

"Perhaps. If he did he would have had to…"

And then a thought hit her. She smiled and continued her thought. "He'd have to log it in the library's log books."

Michael smiled. "We can use those logs as evidence to corroborate Elphaba's story that the Wizard handed her the book."

As they were talking, Fiona turned to Glinda, showing her the inside back cover of the book. "Did you know there's something behind the cover here?"

Glinda walked up and ran her hand across the back cover. Sure enough, there was something there. "No, I didn't know." She examined the bulge in the back cover some more, noticing that if she could cut along the outside edge of the paper, she could get out the contents. "Now, if I had a something to cut open the back…"

At that precise moment, Fiona handed Glinda a small pocket knife. Glinda looked at Fiona with surprise. "Where did you get this from?"

"Trust me, just…don't ask," Michael replied.

Glinda took the knife and carefully scored the edge of the back cover. Once she cut a large enough slit, she carefully reached in to retrieve what was lodged in the cover. She pulled out what looked like an old, ripped piece of parchment.

Fiona asked her, "What is it?"

Glinda shook her head, "I don't know."

Glinda started to unravel the parchment when the parchment suddenly flew out of her hand and magically attached itself to the spine of the book. The torn page seemed to "heal" itself into the book and the letters shone briefly before turning back to their normal black color.

Everybody looked at each other with amazement at what they witnessed. "Wow. That was magical," Fiona said.

Glinda nodded. "I'll say."

Glinda then read the words on the page. She first noticed that the bottom half of the spell was missing and it had words on it she had never seen before.

Except for one that she interpreted to mean "heal".

She gasped a small short breath as she ran her hands along the page feeling the energy beneath it. "Sweet Oz," she whispered in amazement. "Can it be? Can it really be the spell?"

"What?" Fiona asked.

Without looking up, Glinda replied, "It's a healing spell…well, part of it anyway. See here, the bottom is ripped off…"

Their thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of Michael's cell phone. Michael saw the caller id and answered the phone. "Sam. Talk to me."

Sam, standing along the Old Kiamo Highway, said, "First of all, Mikey, you _owe_ me big time! I swear I caught _some _disease from that blasted monkey!"

Michael interrupted his tirade and put the phone on speaker. "Sam, did you find the warehouse?"

"Yeah, we found it – exactly where the Scarecrow said it would be. It's a real big one too with large steel doors. There are three guards watching the place at all times with one of them doing a perimeter walk every so often."

Glinda then asked, "Sam, can you stay there and keep an eye on the place? We're on our way."

"Will do," Sam answered. "Only problem I see is that with it being guarded 24/7, we can't just walk right up to the front door."

Just then, Michael smiled his million-dollar smile. He turned to Fiona. "Hey Fi, did we pack a sniper rifle, some remote detonators and some C4?"

Fiona's eyes lit up and she had a great big smile on her face. "Oh, I like where this is going."

The three friends left the library not realizing they were being watched by two men spying on them from the front of the library.


	11. Breaking Entering Interrogation Oh My

**A/N - Sorry for the long delay. Real life is getting really busy, and I rewrote this chapter a few times. However, without further ado...**

**Disclaimer: Of course, I do not own Wicked or Burn Notice.**

* * *

Glinda was puzzled. Michael seemed to be running around like an excited kid in the Emerald City Candy Emporium.

"Tell me again why we're in this old abandoned warehouse? It's totally horifficified."

Michael stopped. _That_ word got his attention. Fiona's too. "Horifficified?" Fiona asked surprised by Glinda's choice of words.

Glinda was annoyed. "HORIFFICIFIED! Awful! Gross! Dirty! Why are we here?"

It didn't bother Glinda that Michael and Fiona had to get their supplies in order – that took a while to do – or that they wanted to bring some steel chairs and rope. What got her bothered was that Michael asked if there was an old abandoned building anywhere between the Emerald Palace and the warehouse, and that they were currently inspecting the fourth floor of said old abandoned five-story building. Glinda looked around at the dirty floors, crumbling walls and the rather large windows that didn't have any glass in them.

"This place is perfect," Michael replied.

Glinda didn't understand. "Perfect for what?"

"Interrogation."

Glinda's jaw hit the floor and her eyes almost popped out of her skull. "Interrogation?" she shrieked.

Michael nodded as he tied the rope to around a vertical support beam. He then asked Fiona to go down to the third floor to check the length of the rope.

Glinda was still confused as to why they needed the rope, so Michael started to explain the plan to her. As he explained, she became more and more horrified at what he had in mind. After finishing explaining his plan, Glinda shook her head. "No! I will not be part of this!"

_(Michael Westen voiceover): When you're working with people who are not spies, they may not be tolerant of your methods. Most of the time, they don't want anybody to get hurt._

Michael walked up her and looked directly in her eyes. "Miss Glinda, I understand your reservation, and we're taking every precaution to make sure nobody gets hurt. However, we're trying to find out as much as we can about what's going on. That means we need to do what is necessary to get that information. It's not pretty and you'll need to, as they say, 'get your hands dirty'. I can assure you, though, that the intention is to have everybody walking home after we're done."

Glinda pondered his statement for a while before letting out a sigh – not a sigh of defeat but of understanding. She realized he was right. "This is one of those times I need to be tough, right?"

Michael nodded. "Tough but gentle."

Michael then walked over to the window and looked down calling down to Fiona, "How does it look?"

Fiona gave him the thumbs-up signal.

Two more of those and they were ready.

* * *

It was almost evening when they finally met up with Sam. Sam had been keeping watch ever since he got there and brought everybody up to speed as to what he had seen for the last few hours. "So, there are only three guards taking watch: two in blue uniforms armed with spears and one in green with a rifle. Every five minutes or so, one of these guys take a walk around the perimeter of the building."

Michael looked at the guards. "What's with the different uniforms?"

Glinda answered his question. "Blue uniforms are for the junior guard. They're guards who are currently training to get into Gale Force. The green uniform is for Gale Force soldiers."

"Then the senior officer is probably calling the shots," Fiona noted, getting a nod from Sam.

"How do you intend to approach the warehouse? Even if we could get past the guards, it's not like we have a key," Glinda noted.

Michael smiled. "Well, we'll just have to make one."

With that, Michael reached into his bag and pulled out a VSSK VYCHLOP 12.7mm sniper rifle with a silencer and gave it to Fiona. Fiona took the rifle with a big smile on her face. "Oh, Michael, you got me the perfect gift. I never new you cared so much."

Michael smiled. "Don't get too excited. It's loaded with rubber bullets, Fi."

Fiona frowned and huffed. "You do know how to take the fun out of everything, Michael."

Glinda shook her head. _This woman has really weird ideas of what fun is_, she thought.

Michael pointed out a spot where Fiona could set up. She nodded, took her bag and left. Michael then took a backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and then turned to Glinda and asked, "Ready?"

The two junior guards were standing in front of the doors of the warehouse watching the sun start to set over the trees in front of them. One of them said, "Nice evening."

The other turned and gave him a confused look. "You're not getting all mushy on me, are you Duncan?"

Duncan chuckled. "Look Craven, I'm just trying to make conversation. When you suggested we take this gig to earn some extra cash, I didn't think we'd be stuck in the middle of nowhere guarding a building that nobody's visiting."

Craven conceded the point. "True, but at least it'll be some easy beer money."

With that, the two friends 'high-fived' each other, but their enthusiasm was dampened when the senior guard arrived from his perimeter walk. "That's enough. Stay focused."

Craven frowned. "Whatever you say, Marcus."

The senior guard scowled at young man, who swallowed hard and added, "Uh…Mr. Fenix."

"That's better."

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Guarded buildings usually only have one set of doors are designed to prevent intruders from entering the warehouse through the front door. _

They were too engrossed in their conversation that they failed to notice a pink bubble landing on the roof just above them.

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Very few people think about anybody on the roof._

Michael reached into his backpack and pulled out a hand drill that he picked up from the Palace. He quietly drilled a small hole in the roof near the front of the building, and with an extendable periscope, examined the inside of the building. Once he saw that there was nobody in the warehouse, he then focused his attention on the hinges of the front doors.

_(Michael Westen voiceover): You can't put explosives on thick doors thinking you will blow them apart - the amount of C4 you'll need will more than likely destroy the building. However, place a small amount of C4 with a remote fuse on each of the door hinges, and when you press the remote, you have no problems getting in the front door._

Glinda, having earlier been shown what to do, took a small amount of C4 from the bag and added a small remote fuse to it. She then handed it to Michael who activated the fuse, attached it to the end of the periscope and carefully placed it on one of the door hinges. They did this five more times to put charges on all six hinges. Once they were finished, they quietly made their escape ascending into the sky away from the guards.

When they landed, Sam pointed to the sun. "Better hurry Mikey. It's almost dusk."

Michael put on his sunglasses and nodded. Sam did the same. "Let's go."

"Wait," Glinda said, stopping the two men in their tracks.

"What's wrong?" Michael asked.

"What's with the sunglasses?"

Sam shrugged and smiled. "It's how we roll." And with that, the two men walked towards the front door.

* * *

Craven had just finished his perimeter walk when the three guards heard some somebody coming towards them. They all pointed their weapons towards the oncoming intruders. Marcus took command, holding his rifle ready. "Halt! This is private property. Leave now."

Sam and Michael came into view. Sam put up his hands in defense. "Whoa! Hold up, partner. We're here on orders."

Marcus was confused. "Orders, from whom?"

"Glinda the Good. She didn't see an inspection certificate for this building, so we're here to conduct a proper and thorough inspection. There's no way of knowing if this building is up to code. I mean, that thing could fall down at any minute as far as we know."

Marcus blanched for a second. Glinda new about the building? She couldn't have known – it was supposed to be a secret.

Duncan and Craven looked at each other nervously. They didn't understand what was going on. Why would Glinda be interested in a building in Oz knows where?

Marcus refused to budge. "I didn't receive any notification about an inspection. This is a private and secure facility, and until I get approval, I will not let you pass."

Michael walked up to Marcus and said to him. "Look, pal – we are here on authority of Glinda the Good to conduct a safety inspection on this facility. You wouldn't want to go against her wishes now, would you?"

Marcus raised his rifle again. "I told you to leave now!"

It was at that moment when Marcus felt something hard hit his chest causing him to fall backwards. The two junior guards watched in horror as their senior guard fell to the ground. Marcus yelled at the other two guards, "Well, don't just stand there! Get them!"

The junior guards looked at each other confused and nervous, but then focused their attention on Michael and Sam. Duncan raised his spear ready to defend himself but was knocked down the same way Marcus was. Craven nervously charged at Sam, but Sam sidestepped the attack, grabbed Craven's spear, and threw him over his shoulder to the ground.

Marcus was getting back on his feet, but was sent back to the ground again by another shot. This one, however, knocked the wind out of him and he was gasping for breath.

They heard a lady's voice yell, "Nobody move!"

All five men looked over and saw Fiona carrying her rifle as if she was ready to fire on them. She aimed her rifle towards Marcus. "Turn around face down!"

Marcus, seeing he was beat, grudgingly did as he was told and turned over on his stomach. Michael grabbed some rope and tied Marcus' hands and wrists together. They did the same thing to Duncan and Craven. Once the three guards were secure, Sam called out, "It's ok now. We're secure."

Glinda emerged from the trees and walked up to the front doors. All three guards looked on her in horror, realizing they were caught. They were all thinking the same thing:

_Oh, crap! Busted!_

Glinda asked her friends, "Shall we go inside?"

Fiona smiled as she pulled out the detonator. She pushed the button and six small explosions could be heard inside the building. Immediately, the doors fell from their frame onto the ground in front of them with a loud crash. Sam bowed in a mock gesture of chivalry, gestured towards the entrance and said, "Ladies first."

They walked inside the large building which was only about half full. Inside were different pieces of lumber, large metal pipes and assorted bags of goods. Glinda walked up to the metal pipes. "These were meant for the Gilkin irrigation project."

Michael stood beside the lumber pile. "For your bridging project, I assume?" Glinda nodded.

They all heard Sam call out: "Hey guys: check this out."

They all walked over to where Sam was standing. He had pulled some empty boxes aside to reveal a large stash of pistols, rifles and ammunition.

_(Michael Westen voiceover): It's not uncommon to have a few spare weapons handy when you're guarding a secure building. However, a large stash of weapons hiding behind a set of empty boxes indicates that somebody's planning an armed attack._

Sam looked over to his friends. "I have a feeling that whoever stored these weapons was looking to have an insurrection."

Glinda was now angry. It was bad enough that her supplies were being hoarded; it was something else that somebody would _plan_ to cause her harm. She turned towards the three guards bound by the front door. "Then, I think these men have some explaining to do."

Fiona smiled. "Yes…they do."

* * *

They had brought Duncan, Craven and Marcus to the old abandoned building. The three guards were taken to the top floor, and tied by their waist, wrists, and ankles to a couple of steel chairs. They also tied a large rope around their waist and placed in front of the open windows overlooking the countryside. Michael suggested that they be left by themselves for a long time so they can overhear any conversations they would have.

They were not disappointed.

Duncan was visibly shaking. "What are they going to do, man?"

Marcus steeled himself. "Shut up!"

Craven was sweating profusely. "Do you see the ropes, man? They GO OUT THE WINDOW!"

"That's enough!" Marcus bellowed.

Duncan was frightened. "This was supposed to just be an extra job. This wasn't supposed to be anything illegal! Now we'll be charged with treason!"

Marcus looked over at the junior guard. "SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU! Consider this part of your training for Gale Force. In the face of the enemy, you are to be silent and NOT answer their questions. Is that understood?"

"But Marcus…"

"IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

Both junior guards swallowed hard and reluctantly nodded. "Yes sir," they both sheepishly replied.

Michael and Sam were watching from outside. Sam asked Michael, "What do you think?"

Michael pointed to Marcus. "He's definitely the leader of the group and the one calling the shots. I think we can get the other two talking with him out of the way."

After a few more minutes, Sam and Michael walked into the room to talk to their 'guests'. Sam clasped his hands together. "So, gentlemen, it seems you were caught guarding an illegal warehouse with a bunch of stolen goods from the Emerald Palace. Now, I hate to break it to you guys, but this could constitute a criminal offense, possibly even treason. The good news is if you guys are willing to talk, we can avoid all of the legal ramifications and possible jail time. So, what do you say?"

The two junior guards looked at Marcus who just nodded in confidence.

Silence was their response.

Sam tried again. "Oh, come on guys. Make this easy on yourselves." He stood in front of Marcus and asked him, "So, who owns the warehouse?"

No response.

Sam turned to Duncan and asked him, "What about you, son? Cat got your tongue too?"

Duncan was mute as well. Sam walked over to Craven. "Last chance."

Craven didn't answer.

Michael turned to Sam and sighed. "Well Sam, I guess we have to move to the next part."

Sam winced. "Aw, Mikey, I hate this part." He then turned to the guards and said, "I really hate this next part."

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Getting information out of someone who doesn't want to give it up is all about upsetting the target's emotional balance; impairing their judgment. Fear is good for that._

Suddenly, Michael kicked Marcus' chair out of the window.

"HOLY SHIZ!"

Duncan and Craven started screaming as they watched their commander fall through the window.

_(Michael Westen voiceover): The "Who talks first?" interrogation technique originally involved taking a few blindfolded prisoners up in a helicopter and tossing one out to get the others to talk. When a helicopter's not available, any tall building will do._

Sam grabbed Craven by the neck and came right up in his face. "You want to be next?"

He then dragged him closer to the window. Any resolve that Craven had disappeared. "NO! DON'T! PLEASE!"

He marched over to Duncan. Sam didn't even have to say anything as Duncan started freaking out. "All right! All right! We'll talk!"

Michael walked up to Duncan. "So, who owns the building?" he asked him forcefully.

Duncan shook his head. "I don't know, man! I swear!"

"Why were you there?"

Craven answered, "We just wanted to earn some extra cash! That's all! We didn't know what was inside or anything!"

Sam asked them, "So who ordered you to guard the building?"

"Nobody; we volunteered. A couple of guys talked about earning some extra cash guarding some hidden warehouses so they wouldn't be looted. We thought we could earn some extra cash for weekends." Craven replied.

"Which guys?"

"Some of the Gale Force. Heck, man, even Pavel knows about it."

That got Michael's attention. "Wait a minute. Pavel ordered you to guard the building?"

Duncan shook his head. "No, he didn't give the order; he never did. He would just come up to us after our shift ask us what happened during the shift. We figured he was in on it."

Sam and Michael looked at each other. They knew these guys were telling the truth.

Meanwhile, two floors down, Marcus was screaming, hanging by a rope tied to his chair. As the rope was secured to the support beam on the fourth floor, there was no danger of Marcus falling to his doom. The rope was long enough that Marcus would fall a good distance and give him a good scare without actually hitting the ground. As it was, he was hanging just past the third floor window when a light appeared above him. He stretched to look and saw Glinda's wand glowing and her and Fiona looking out the window.

Glinda smiled. "Oh, hey. Look, Fiona, there's a guy here."

Fiona smiled. "Well, it must be raining men or something."

Marcus was panting like crazy. "What do you want?"

Glinda smiled. "Well, you're going to tell us all about that wonderful building you were standing in front of."

Marcus sneered. "Forget it. I'm not talking."

Glinda sighed. "Wow. That's really too bad. It's a shame, though, to mess up those clothes."

Marcus went wide eyed. "What are you talking about?"

Glinda waved, "Toodles," and walked away.

Fiona reached over from inside the window and pulled the chair close and pulled out a long hunting knife. She held it at eye level to Marcus whose worry turned to panic.

Fiona sighed and turned the knife in her hands so that Marcus could see it. "You know, when I got this knife, they said it will cut through anything. I've always wondered if it's true."

_(Michael Westen voiceover): The art of turning someone is delicate. The target has to be put into a fragile psychological state._

And then she brought the knife to the rope and started cutting. Marcus stared freaking out. "NO! YOU CAN'T!"

_(Michael Westen voiceover): Fortunately, fragile psychological states are a specialty of Fiona's._

Glinda walked back to the window. "So, will you will help us now?"

"What?"

Fiona kept cutting, getting through part of the rope. Marcus felt a jolt as the rope started to give.

He tried to fight the fear but fear gave in: "OK! I'LL HELP YOU!"

They pulled him into the room and cut the rope holding the chair outside the building. However, they still left him tied to the chair. Fiona started to walk over to Marcus with the knife. Marcus was panting, shaking, and with Fiona now advancing towards him, his face went white. "Get that crazy bitch away from me!"

Fiona stopped and Glinda calmly walked over to Marcus, came nose to nose with him, and in a calm and quiet voice said, "Now, you can talk to me, or you can deal with her," nodding in Fiona's direction. "You're choice."

Marcus looked over at Fiona, who just waved back sweetly with a smile on her face. He looked back at Glinda and nodded. The blonde smiled and calmly said, "So, let's talk."

Glinda and Marcus talked for about 10 minutes, during which Fiona wrote notes based on his answers. They were able to get a lot of information from Marcus about some of the "back-room" dealings going on in Oz. He also confirmed that all the buildings were owned by the Wizard, and he also said he was there for a number of the deliveries.

Glinda asked him, "How many buildings are there?"

Marcus shrugged. "Don't know. I've heard there may be three of them, but we were only assigned to the one building, so I don't know for sure."

Fiona didn't believe him and a look from Glinda confirmed the same. Glinda moved out of the way and Fiona advanced on the guard holding the knife in front of her.

Marcus went into panic mode. "I swear it's the truth! You can ask the others! They'll tell you the same thing!"

Glinda nodded to Fiona who stepped back to her original waiting spot.

Glinda asked him, "We saw a large number of weapons being stored. Mind telling us why?"

Marcus shook his head. "No idea. I knew we has some pieces stored, but I didn't know how many or why they were there."

Glinda looked to Fiona. "Anything else?"

Fiona twirled her knife against her finger which caused Marcus to blanch. She smiled and replied, "Nope. I think we're done."

Glinda then said to Marcus, "Well, then, now you have a choice: you can go back to the Emerald Palace and be my informant, or you can leave and run as far away as you can."

Then Glinda stepped back and raised her wand. Marcus froze, not knowing what to expect. Glinda closed her eyes and quietly chanted, "_Nidor pulchellus tarsus…" _

Suddenly, a ball of light flew from the wand and hit Marcus. He felt a tingling all over, which caused him to panic a little bit. But, when he saw he was ok, he started to relax. Glinda walked up to him. "I have put a spell on you that, if you should warn anybody or betray me in _any_ way, you will automatically be transported back to this building." She got up close to his face. "And I swear, next time, that trip you took out the window will be a full five-floor drop. Got it?"

Marcus gulped. He weakly said, "Yes, madam."

Glinda gave one of her patented perky smiles. "Good." She waved her wand, and the binds that held Marcus to the chair disappeared. "Now, off you go." And with that, Marcus ran out of the building as fast as he could, not before running into Duncan, Craven, Michael and Sam coming down to the third floor.

Fiona turned to Glinda, puzzled. "Is that thing about the spell really true?"

Glinda shook her head. "No. It was just a spell to clean him up – I couldn't stand his stink anymore."

Fiona was even more puzzled, "But you said…"

Glinda smiled. "You and I know that, but _he_ doesn't."

Fiona was in awe. "Oh, you're good."

Glinda winked. "With a little bit of wicked," and they high-fived each other.

Sam, Michael and the two junior guards walked into the room where Fiona and Glinda were questioning Marcus. Duncan stepped up and said to Glinda, "Look, we want to apologize, your Goodness. We had no idea what was going on."

Craven nodded emphatically in agreement with his friend's statement.

Glinda walked up to the junior guards. "Look, you seem like good guys. I'm sorry for the scare but we didn't know if you would be willing to talk. So, I'm offering you a deal. You help keep us informed, you work for our side, and this whole event and your involvement with the warehouse will be just between us. Do we have a deal?"

The two guards nodded. "Deal."


	12. Preparations and Reflections

**A/N - I know - I'm sorry it's taken me this long to update. It's been crazy and I've finally gotten my next chapter done. To be honest, I had to split my next chapter into two chapters as it got so big. Thank you for your patience, my faithful readers. **

**So, without further ado...**

**Disclaimer: To quote the author/authoress "The Pixess"**_:_ **"****This is a FANFICTION site! Why would I own anything here?"**

* * *

The day after the "raid" on the warehouse, Glinda transported all of the materials for the Gilkin irrigation project to the project site. On Michael's urging, she decided to make it a grand affair, inviting reporters, workers, and townspeople to the site. Even Governor Dawson was there when she arrived. Fiona also decided to go with Glinda - if anything, she would keep watch.

The crowd cheered when the materials arrived and Glinda was inundated with questions from reporters:

"Your Goodness, what were the reasons for the delays?"

"Is it true that these materials were found in an illegal warehouse?"

"Do you suspect underhanded dealings going on in Oz?"

"How badly will this delay the project?"

She silenced the crowd and spoke: "My dear friends, the government of Oz and the people of the Gilkins have enjoyed a long had a favorable relationship. It is a relationship we are proud of and today we take a step forward in confirming that relationship. This project, designed to route waters from the Kabumpo River to the farmlands, shows the commitment of all Ozians that we can work together for the common good. However, there are those in Oz who seek to undermine our relationship and work for their own personal gain. There is a rumor going around that these materials for this project were stolen from the Emerald Palace and stored in a secret warehouse. I can confirm that these rumors are true."

The crowd murmured at Glinda's last statement. She continued: "Please be assured that the Emerald Palace and Gale Force will be conducting a thorough investigation into the affair. However, today, let us celebrate together as we can now complete this project for the good of all in the Gilkins."

The crowd cheered at the end of Glinda's speech. The Governor then got up and silenced the crowd. "Good people of the Gilkins, as you can imagine, I was as shocked to hear what Her Goodness has just told us as much as you were. The government of the Gilkins will work with the Emerald City to investigate these allegations. Your Goodness," he continued facing Glinda directly, "you have our full support in this matter. We are honored that you would visit us today and bring good news to our people. Thank you for your support of our endeavors as we finish our irrigation project."

Turning back to the crowd, he said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, let's hear it for Her Goodness Miss Glinda!"

The crowd erupted in cheers once again and even started chanting Glinda's name. Glinda shook hands with Governor Dawson and waived to the crowd as the photographers snapped pictures. She spent the next half-hour answering reporter's questions about the "warehouse affair".

After the questions were answered and the materials delivered to the work site, Glinda met up with Fiona who had just pulled out her phone to tell Michael what happened. Glinda asked Fiona, "What's going on?"

"Oh, I was about to call Michael and let him know how it went today."

Glinda pointed to the phone in Fiona's hand. "Using that thing?"

Fiona nodded. Glinda was curious on how the device worked. She asked Fiona, "How does it work?"

Fiona then had an idea. "Here...take my phone," she said as she handed the phone to Glinda. "What you do is push this button to get the menu…then go to 'phonebook'…move this down to 'Michael'…then press the green button to call."

Michael was in his guest suite looked at his phone as it rang. "Fi, how did it go?"

Glinda smiled as she answered, "It went very well, thank you very much."

Michael smiled as he realized it wasn't Fiona. "Miss Glinda, I take it by the tone of your voice that everybody was happy to see you."

Glinda nodded enthusiastically. Fiona smiled and said, "Uh, Michael can only _hear _your voice on the phone; he can't see you nod."

"Oh," Glinda said blushing a little. "Yes, Michael, the event was a huge success. There were lots of people there and a great amount of reporters asking questions. I have a feeling we may see the news reports of the warehouse show up on the front pages tomorrow."

Michael smiled. "Good."

* * *

Sure enough, Michael smiled as he looked at the headlines on the Ozian Times the next morning:

_Gilkin Irrigation Project Finally Going Ahead_  
"_Project Should Be Complete before Next Season" – Governor Dawson_

_Illegal Warehouse Found: Stolen Irrigation Materials Recovered  
Emerald Palace to Launch Full Investigation_

Sam walked over to Michael. "Well, Mike, it looks like Glinda made quite the splash at her event yesterday. It's made quite the headlines in the local paper."

Michael smiled. "This is very good. This should rattle a few cages," he acknowledged. He then looked up at Sam – he was surprised to see him dressed in a suit and tie. "Do you have a date, Sam? Who's the poor Ozian woman who will be subjected to the charms of the one and only Sam Axe?"

Sam chuckled. "Well I hate to disappoint you buddy but I actually have a meeting with The Wizard. I got this note handed to me this morning."

Sam handed Michael a note with a handwritten message on it: _Need your help. Meet me at the café._ Michael smiled. "Uh oh…sounds like he needs Chuck Finley's help."

Sam put on his sunglasses. "…and Chuck Finley will only be too happy to help…for a 'small fee' of course."

"Of course."

* * *

Sam arrived at the café and found the Wizard sitting at a table with Governor Shaz and Pavel. Each of them seemed to be in a heated but hushed discussion. Sam walked up to the three men, saying, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

The men stopped their conversation and the Wizard gestured Sam to sit. "Not at all, Mr. Finley. We were discussing yesterday's events."

Sam decided to play dumb. "What events would those be? Don't tell me you lost money on your sports team."

"I wish it was that simple," the Wizard responded. He started to look anxious. "Apparently, one of my warehouses was discovered and raided two days ago."

"So that was _your_ warehouse, was it? I read about that in this morning's paper," Sam said pretending to be surprised.

The Wizard nodded. "Indeed it was. Amongst other things, we had a number of different weapons stored there in case we needed to deal with Miss Glinda a little more harshly than anticipated."

This confirmed Sam's suspicions that an armed coup was part of the plan. The Wizard continued, "Last time we met, Mr. Finley, you said that if we needed something to contact you. You also mentioned, in our last conversation, that you were looking for sanctuary because of some 'gun running' – is that correct?"

Sam scoffed. "I prefer to use the term, 'armament augmentation'."

"Well, Mr. Finley, whatever you call it, we were wondering if you'd be willing to help us 'augment' our 'armaments'?"

Sam was about to reply, but Pavel interrupted them. "Wizard, with all due respect, we can surely get those guns back. It shouldn't be too difficult to do. I _am_, after all, the Head of Security."

The Wizard smiled at him. "Pavel, I appreciate your effort and what you're trying to do for our cause. However, it appears that our 'secret' plans are not so secret anymore. In light of this, I believe the best approach is to get our help from somebody not associated with Oz at all." The Wizard turned his attention back to Sam. "That is…if you _can_ be trusted Mr. Finley. You _are_ a guest of Miss Glinda."

Sam smiled as he had already anticipated that point being expressed. "As I told you earlier, Wizard, I am looking to work with the _real _ruler of Oz. The way I see it, that would be you. As far as Miss Glinda is concerned, she's busy preparing for the trial and any negotiations we started have been stopped. So, I am free to discuss whatever you'd like, Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

"Please, Mr. Finley, you flatter me too much."

Shaz then spoke. "I hate to interrupt this 'love fest', but we'd need to discuss our plans. Mr. Finley, what types of weapons can you provide?"

Sam reached into his jacket causing Pavel to reach for a pistol. Sam put his other hand up defensively. "Easy, easy…It's only 'show and tell'."

Sam secretly pulled out a Smith and Wesson 4003 pistol and handed to Shaz. The Governor examined the gun like it was a fine piece of artwork. "Amazing…I've never seen this before," he commented on the weapon in his hands.

"This is a 40 caliber aluminum frame semi-automatic pistol," Sam replied as he took the gun from Shaz's hands and pulled out the magazine. "Capable of firing eleven shots before you need to replace the magazine."

"Semi-automatic?" Pavel asked nervously.

"Yep, once you pop off a round with this baby, the slide mechanism kicks out the shell and then loads a new bullet into the chamber."

The Wizard was impressed. "Impressive. Much more advanced than our weapons, eh Pavel?" he asked the Head Guard who just blanched.

The Wizard turned his attention back to Sam. "Can you get us a number of these?"

Sam nodded, adding, "That and the ammunition to boot. How many do you need?"

The Wizard smiled. "We'll need enough for about fifty guards, plus us at the table."

_Thanks for the tipoff,_ Sam thought. He then asked, "How soon do you need them?"

The Wizard leaned forward to Sam and whispered, "As soon as you can."

"Why? What's the rush?"

"Let's just say it's an insurance policy."

Sam was intrigued. "Against what?"

"Mr. Finley, as much as this trial is focused on the Wicked Witch, my concern is that certain 'information' may end up coming out in trial. I am working very hard to make sure that doesn't happen; however, in case it does, we will need to be ready."

Sam placed the magazine back into the gun and put it away in his jacket. What the Wizard said made him feel uneasy.

The Wizard continued. "In return, we will pay you handsomely and provide you with the sanctuary you seek."

The Wizard extended his hand to Sam. "So, Mr. Finley, do we have a deal?"

* * *

While Sam was 'negotiating' with the Wizard, Fiyero and Chistery returned from Kiamo Ko. Fiyero had a satchel over his shoulder as he met up with Michael in his guest suite. "As you requested, here's everything I could get."

Michael took the satchel from Fiyero and took out the contents. Michael looked at each of the items: notebooks from university, old tests with very high scores, grade reports from Shiz ("She was a straight A student?" Michael asked, eliciting a nod from Fiyero), and letters from Shiz about Elphaba's "promising future" addressed to her father. Michael was puzzled. "These letters never got delivered to her family?"

Fiyero shook his head. "If you knew anything about Elphaba's relationship with her father, you'd know that he wouldn't care what that letter said."

Michael knew that feeling all too well – Fiyero's comment brought back memories of the indifference on his father's face whenever he'd bring home a glowing report card home.

It was ironic, really, when Michael thought about it: both he and Elphaba didn't have a father figure to speak of, they both tried growing up on their own as best they could, they were both "burned" for things they didn't do, and they're both using their skills to help those who need it. It was almost like Elphaba was an Ozian version of himself.

"Hey, Mr. Westen, are you ok?" Fiyero asked knocking Michael out of his thoughts.

"Uh, yeah…sorry."

Michael also found a train ticket from Shiz University to the Emerald City as well as the letter from the Wizard. "I assume these are from when she went to the Emerald City and all hell broke loose?"

Fiyero nodded sadly. "Worst day of her life…mine too as a matter of fact."

Michael put everything down on the table and turned his attention to the scarecrow. "Talk to me about it."

Fiyero sat down and started to recount his story: "I remember that day well. She left the train station with hope – perhaps _finally_ she'd be accepted for who she was and wouldn't be judged by her skin color. The next day, however, all the newspapers broke the story about a new enemy of Oz – a green witch – the Wicked Witch. Since there's only one green woman in all of Oz, they had to be talking about Fae. I remember reading the paper and shaking my head – I couldn't believe it – it didn't make sense. I mean, Elphaba was more concerned about helping others, especially the Animals. I couldn't believe the stories that said she would be a threat to the country."

"Did you say anything to anybody?"

Fiyero shook his head. "How could I? Most of the students at Shiz were afraid of Elphaba when she first arrived at Shiz – they were terrified of her after the story broke. I didn't think they'd listen to me if I tried telling them that Fae was not wicked. I couldn't even talk to Nessa, her sister – she locked herself in her room that day and wouldn't talk to anybody."

"That must have been hard on Nessa."

"She quit school and left Shiz not too long after that and went back home. I think it was too much to stay around school and be known as the 'Sister of the Wicked Witch'." Fiyero shook his head at the memory of it all.

Michael then asked, "You said it was the worst day of your life too. Why is that?"

Fiyero sighed. "One day at school, before her trip to the City, a man brought small lion cub in a cage into class, telling us that keeping it caged was for the Animal's own good. Well, Fae felt strongly against keeping Animals in cages so we rescued it to release it back to the wild. It was that day when I was with her I felt something I hadn't felt before…I felt _real_. Elphaba was the first person to see past any false pretenses or facades I had. I felt like I could be myself in front of her instead of what everybody expected of me. The thing is, I didn't realize it until the day she left to meet the Wizard. After her meeting with the Wizard turned bad, I thought we'd never see each other again." He chuckled as he mused at the memories. "Here I was, somebody whose sole purpose was to 'dance through life', and because of her, I now have a _real_ purpose."

"And what's that?"

Fiyero smiled. "When we first met, Fae was very cynical, confrontational, headstrong and kept her heart very guarded – there was no way she would let anybody get to know her. Since we've been together, we've talked about a lot of things, shared things in our past and opened our hearts to each other. It was pretty scary to start with, but it got a lot of old hurts out and helped us put down a lot of baggage. Most importantly, it's helped us heal. You ask me what my purpose is? It is to help that wonderful woman see how wonderful she really is…to see how _beautiful_ she really is, even if the world cannot see it."

* * *

While Michael and Fiyero talked, Boq was in a carriage heading back to his home in Munchkinland. Last time he was on this road, he was leaving Munchkinland after Dorothy had left to go back to Kansas. While the carriage travelled down the Yellow Brick Road, he tried to sort out everything that was happening around him. He couldn't understand it: Glinda hired Michael and his friends to help them deal with the Wizard. Now, Michael was helping the most hated enemy of Oz: that _Witch!_ It didn't make logical sense.

But that's not what bugged him the most: it was something else – something he couldn't put his finger on.

He pushed those thoughts aside as he neared Munchkinland, remaining focused on the task at hand. Still, he recalled the last time he was there…

_Boq addressed the crowd of Witch Hunters: "And, this is more than just a service to the Wizard. I have a personal score to settle with Elph... with the witch! IT'S DUE TO HER I'M MADE OF TIN - HER SPELL MADE THIS OCCUR. SO FOR ONCE I'M GLAD I'M HEARTLESS - I'LL BE HEARTLESS KILLING HER!"_

_The crowd roared in their approval, chanting, "Kill the Witch! Kill the Witch!" When the Witch Hunters turned to leave, Boq noticed his Mother standing in the crowd staring at him. He walked over to her and she cupped his now tin face. "My son…what has happened to you?"_

_His expression turned cold. "Isn't it obvious? I'm tin for Oz sake!"_

_She shook her head with a tear falling from her face. "It's not just your skin that's changed… your heart that's gone cold."_

_Boq became angry. "That Witch __**stole**__ my heart! I __**have**__ no heart to become cold!" He pushed her hand away from his face and turned to join the Witch Hunters. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a score to settle…"_

He hadn't ventured back since that day. The carriage pulled up in front of a house. Boq got out and said to the driver, "Pick me up in an hour."

The carriage driver nodded in acknowledgement and the rode off. Boq stood in front of the house: his family's house. He walked up to the front door and, after some hesitation, knocked. After a few seconds the door opened and an older woman stood in the doorway staring at the tinman. They stood in silence for a few seconds as they stared at one another not knowing what to do. Boq broke the silence: "Hi Mom."

They sat in the kitchen, his Mom making some tea. It was always a habit of hers to serve tea to her guests. Boq just smiled. "I don't think I'll be able to drink tea – it'll be bad for the complexion…you know, rusting and all."

She chuckled at his light hearted joke. Pouring a cup for herself, she sat down across from him. There was an awkward silence between them for a few seconds before she spoke. "How is the Emerald City?"

He nodded. "It's good. Things are good."

"I bet things are a little more interesting now, with the Witch and all."

Boq nodded.

More silence.

"Boq, why are you here?"

"I came for something – a picture. I wanted to remember what I looked like before…this," he said as he pointed towards his tin body.

His mother got up from the table and walked into the living room. Boq followed her as she grabbed a photo in a frame. She looked at the photo for a while – a look of remembering on her face. She then turned and handed it to Boq. He looked at the photo: a picture of him and his parents the day he graduated from Shiz. He stared at the picture: he was in the center, holding up his degree from Shiz University with a great big smile on his face - on either side of him stood his parents with smiles just as big. Boq shook his head as he remembered that day. "Happier times," he said with a slight chuckle in his voice.

His mother sighed and nodded. "It was...days full of hope, promise…what a long way we have come since then."

"Yeah," Boq breathed as he stared at the picture.

"You know, those Thropp girls have been nothing but bad luck! First it was when you lived with that poor excuse of a Governor…"

"Her name was Nessarose," Boq interrupted with a sharp bite.

"First it was when you lived with _Nessarose,_" Mother restarted, emphasizing Nessa's name, "then it was when you went hunting for her sister. That night, when you left to get the Witch, you broke my heart. I realized then that my son had truly changed."

Boq nodded. He stared at the picture, reaching out to his image in the frame. He touched it as if he was searching for something. He then looked at his metal hand. Inside the pit of his hollow body he started to feel something he hadn't felt in a long time…

Anger.

He was taken out of his thoughts by the sound of horse steps – the carriage returned to pick him up. He pushed down his thoughts and turned to his mother. "I have to go."

She nodded and led him to the door. Before she opened it, she turned to him and faced him. "I want you to know something: no matter what you look like, or whatever your "skin" is made of, you are _still_ my son and I will always love you."

She reached out and put her arms around Boq's tin body. It caught him off guard for a few seconds but he started to feel the warmth of his mother's embrace. He put his arms around her and held her for a few seconds. For the first time in a long time, he felt warm.

On the way back to the Emerald City, Boq stared at the picture. He _knew _what he had to do.

* * *

**A/N - Elphaba's trial is coming up soon. I wonder what's going to happen when we get there? Hmm?**

**There's a little button down there that's labeled, "Review". Please do. :)  
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	13. Preparations Cont and the Day Before

**A/N – Hey all. Thank you for your patience - I had some trouble writing this chapter but I think I've got it to a place I want it to be.**

**Standard disclaimers still apply. :)  
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It was early in the morning and already the Palace was abuzz with activity. Everybody was expecting a large turnout of people who wanted to witness the Witch's trial the next day and the Palace staff was doing everything they could to ensure it all went smoothly. Pavel supervised the setup of the grand ballroom for the proceedings and discussed with the guards everything they expected to happen. Glinda was also busy overseeing the setup of a sound system outside of the palace ensuring the people outside could hear the court proceedings.

Michael was also up early, sitting in the library and reviewing his notes. He couldn't believe that the trial was only the next day. With all that was going on the past few days – the warehouse raid, the interrogation of the guards, discussions with Glinda and Fiyero – it seemed time flew by before he knew it. He sat back and thought about the conversation he had with Elphaba the evening before…

_(The previous day…)_

_After spending the morning and afternoon talking to Fiyero, Michael headed downstairs in the evening to the prison cells. He had a tray of food and his notepad with him as he approached the guard station. They let him towards Elphaba's cell and opened it for him. As soon as he walked in, he smiled as greeted her. "Good evening, Miss Elphaba. Room service calling."_

_That elicited a small chuckle from Elphaba. "I was wondering when you'd be coming back. I was going to complain to the concierge about the poor service here."_

_Glinda then popped her head from behind the door. She smiled and replied jokingly, "Please be assured, madam, that the management of this fine establishment will take your complaints into consideration."_

_They chuckled at this playfulness but then got down to business. Michael started the conversation as Elphaba ate, asking her to continue from where they left off. Elphaba continued her story – she talked about how the year she spent after leaving the Emerald City helping the Animals escape captivity from the Wizard's forces and finding safe places for them to hide. She also tried, unsuccessfully, to get anybody to listen to her side of the story. Unfortunately, she ended up mostly hiding as the "infamy" of the Wicked Witch grew. _

_Elphaba continued her story about the return to the Palace to face the Wizard and how she found Dr. Dillamond without the ability to speak. She spoke of her escape from the Palace with Fiyero and the moment they realized they loved each other. Although for Glinda's sake she kept most of the details out of her story, she did talk about the growth of their relationship. This caused Glinda tense up a bit. Elphaba noticed this – she turned to Glinda: "Do you still hate me for what happened with you and Fiyero?"_

_Glinda looked down for a second but shook her head. Looking back at her friend, Glinda replied, "No. I think deep down I knew he loved you more than he loved me."_

_Michael then asked, "What happened next?"_

_Glinda gasped. "Oh Oz, the house…"_

_Elphaba started to choke a bit as she spoke of her sister's death. A tear ran down her cheek as she said, "…and I saw the house on top of her and I realized…she was…gone." She lowered her head at the last word, covered her face with her hand and dissolved into silent sobs._

_Glinda hugged her friend, a tear running down her cheek too. "I'm sorry Elphie. I really am."_

_Elphaba leaned on her friend's shoulder as she openly cried. After a few minutes, Elphaba finally started to gain control of herself, apologizing for her loss of control over her emotions. Glinda shook her head. "You've spent the last year fighting and running. You never had the chance to mourn, did you?"_

_Elphaba shook her head. "No. I miss her, Glin. I really do."_

"_I know, Elphie. Me too," she said as she comforted her friend._

_Finally, Elphaba finished her story with the acceptance of the "Wicked Witch" title, the "kidnapping" of Dorothy Gale, the "Witch Hunters", her "melting" and trying to escape Oz. _

_After Elphaba's story was done, Michael thought for a few minutes on everything he had heard. Sure, he knew the story, but hearing right from the people involved made him angrier – here was this young woman, trying to do good, having everything turned upside-down and even having her sister killed. For what? Political gain? So Oz had a "bad guy" to fear?_

_However, he knew he had to keep his emotions in check. He spent the rest of the evening discussing their strategy for the trial with the two women... _

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* * *

_

(Current day)

Fiona stood in the Grand Hall watching Governor Shaz and the Wizard walking in her direction, completely engrossed in their conversation. She had to get a hold of a certain notebook…

_(flashback)_

_The Wizard pulled out a small, brown notebook, put Sam's business card in it, and wrote some notes in it._

_"We need to look at that book. Fi, do you see it?" Michael asked her._

_"Yeah, I see it. I'll see what I can do."_

As the two men got close to her, she stepped out and bumped into the Wizard. "Oh, I am _so_ sorry. I am _so _clumsy sometimes."

The Wizard smiled in response. "That's all right my dear. No harm done. Just please be careful, ok?"

Fiona nodded and smiled as she left. She headed straight for the library, her smile turning into a frown as she walked away from her encounter empty handed. Michael saw her walk towards her noticing her frown. "What's wrong, Fi?"

Fiona sat down in a huff. "Well, I tried to lift the Wizard's notebook from him, but it seems he doesn't have it on him. I have a feeling he's got it hiding somewhere."

Michael nodded. "Probably doesn't want it on him while the trial's going on. He's being careful."

It was about a half hour later that Michael's phone rang. He looked at the caller id: Mom. He stepped away from the table and answered the phone. "Yeah, Mom?"

Madeline sat at her kitchen table, lit cigarette in hand and a slew of books in front of her. "So, what's it like?"

Michael was confused. "What's _what _like?"

"Oz! Is it as magical as they say it is? Is the Emerald City really green?"

"You'll have to ask Fi – she's the only one that's been able to look at the city."

Madeline scowled. "You mean 'scoped out', don't you?"

Michael rolled his eyes. "I've got to prepare for a court case tomorrow, Mom. What can I do for you?"

"Well, Mrs. Reynolds and I decided to go out to the theater last night. Can you guess what we went to see?"

Michael sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I can only imagine."

Madeline continued, "Anyway, it inspired me to head to the library and do some research. Did you know the 'Wizard' is not really a wizard at all? He doesn't even have any magical powers."

Michael didn't have time for this. "Yeah, Mom, I kind of figured…"

"Also, did you know he's from Omaha, Nebraska, and his name is 'Oscar Diggs'? Although, if I told you his full name, you wouldn't believe it."

That stopped Michael in his tracks - he did not know _that_. Did his Mom just find some dirt on the Wizard? "Really?" he asked with curiosity in his voice. He walked back to the table, got out a fresh sheet of paper and a pen. "Please continue, Mom. What else did you find?"

* * *

It was early afternoon when the Wizard entered the caverns leading to Southstairs prison. He knew the guards at the entrance gate…they were on his payroll. As he approached, they greeted him and let him into the penitentiary. They led him through the maze of caverns of the penitentiary to a woman's cell. This cell was unlike the others…while most prison cells had only a bed and washroom facilities, this one was bigger than the others, had a small table and two chairs and a folding privacy screen to separate the facilities from the rest of the cell. The guards opened the door to the cell, let him in and left him alone with the cell's resident.

The Wizard sat down at one of the chairs as a woman came from behind the screen, wearing only a gray prisoner's uniform. He stood as she came into view. "Helena, it's so wonderful to see you again. I trust that the guards here are treating you well."

Helena Morrible, the former Shiz headmistress snorted in reply. The last year in prison had not done her well. She had lost a lot of weight, causing her facial features to be sharper than normal, and she looked tired. She walked over to the other chair and sat down. "As can be expected, I suppose. Although, the furniture is a nice touch – it takes away from the whole 'prison cell' motif."

The Wizard chuckled at her response. "Well, being the 'Wonderful Wizard of Oz' still has some influence in some parts."

"I'm sure it does," Morrible replied snidely.

"Oh, come now, Helena, don't be like that. I'm your friend – I always have been. I haven't forgotten what you did for me being my 'press secretary'. Don't worry – we're going to get you out of this Oz-forsaken hellhole soon enough."

Morrible just looked at him. "Well, considering you've been enjoying your freedom for the last year plotting your return, and I've been stuck underground, you will forgive me if I seem a little snarky right now. I feel like I'm hiding in the caves like one of those wretched Animals that Thropp girl would protect."

He grabbed her hand and took it in his own. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb in a soft, almost loving manner. "My dear, this will all be over soon. In a few days, we will have control of the Palace one way or another, and _they_ will be the ones stuck down here until they rot."

Morrible smiled a little bit – the thought of that Upland wench sitting where she was now filled her with some satisfaction. She figured that Glinda wouldn't hold up very well in prison – she wouldn't have what it takes.

The Wizard then asked, "So, have you been kept up-to-date as to what's going on?"

She nodded. "Your guards here have been keeping me informed. I assume you'll want my help tomorrow?"

The Wizard smiled as he nodded. "Absolutely, my dear. Here's what I'd like you to do…"

Before he finished his sentence, he could hear the guards approaching. He turned around to see a man with the two guards. As they let the man into the cell, the Wizard approached him and shook his hand. "Ah, Mr. Simon Bal, I'm so glad you could come. Please meet Madame Helena Morrible."

The Prosecutor walked over and shook Morrible's hand. After exchanging pleasantries, Bal said, "The Wizard here says you have a story to tell about the 'Wicked Witch'. I'd be interested in hearing it."

Morrible looked to the Wizard who only nodded in confirmation. She then turned back to Bal, smiled an evil smile, and said, "Let me tell you what happened when I was Headmistress of Shiz…"

* * *

Mr. Bal returned from his meeting feeling better about the trial the next day. Up until that point, he was extremely frustrated: most of the people he talked to had very "flimsy" stories of what the Witch did to them ; most of the time, anything he got from potential witnesses was mostly rumor, innuendo, or complete fabrications.

He was reading through the notes he took during his conversation with Morrible when he heard a knock on the door.

"Are you still looking for witnesses?"

Bal turned around and was surprised to see a man standing there. "Yes I am. What can I do for you sir?"

The man handed him a picture. "That was me before I met the Witch. Let me tell you what she did to me."

Bal was fascinated – first Morrible, then this. It looked like things were starting to pick up. "I'm listening, Mister…"

"Riddle – Boq Riddle."

* * *

Still in the library, Michael and Fiona went over everything in meticulous detail. They had to prepare for anything that Bal would throw at them. While they sat there, Michael happened to overhear the conversation between the two female library attendants.

"Have you seen the log books?"

"They should be right there behind the desk."

"Nope, they're not here."

"Well, they were right there yesterday…"

Michael shot his head up towards the assistants. Fiona noticed the tension in Michael's face. "Michael, what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure," he replied as he got up to talk to the library attendants. "Excuse me. Did you say you can't find the log books?"

One of them turned to him and nodded. "Yes sir. They should be behind the desk here but they seem to have gone missing."

Michael thought to himself: _if the log books are missing, that means somebody stole them. _He looked towards the two looked wooded doors across the library. _Oh no._

Michael marched towards the locked room with the Grimmerie; worry was on his face. Fiona, noticing Michael's panicked pace, got up and followed.

Michael blanched when he saw the lock on the door was broken. He threw open the door and looked inside. Fiona followed right behind, her face dropping at the sight before them.

They stared at the empty pedestal in front of him. "Fi, go and get Glinda. Tell her that the Grimmerie has been stolen."


	14. Trial Day

**A/N – And so it begins…**

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_(Michael Westen Voiceover): When preparing an operation, you plan for everything…_

Michael turned over in his bed again. His mind swirled constantly about the day's events; not yielding to the need to sleep.

_(Michael Westen Voiceover): …tactics, approaches, materials, personnel…you even plan for your enemy's response._

He reached over to his phone to look at the time: 2AM.

_(Michael Westen Voiceover): Sometimes, even with all of your planning, something will go wrong._

He cursed himself for not sleeping – he knew he needed to be on his game later in the morning as the trial started in seven hours. He also cursed himself for not securing the Grimmerie or the library logs – moving them to a safe location.

_(Michael Westen Voiceover): When something goes wrong, you need to adapt your strategy…deal with the new information. Most importantly, you can't let it get to you as it clouds your judgment. _

Finally, he cursed himself because he knew that he let Elphaba down.

_(Michael Westen Voiceover): Sometimes, that's easier said than done._

Unable to sleep, he got up, got dressed in a pair of pants and a t-shirt, and walked down towards the second floor of the palace. He stood over the railing of the second floor looking down into the empty hall below, mindlessly watching the inactivity before him, and trying to relax his mind and his body. He noticed Boq doing his rounds as normal, but noticed that he didn't bother to look up at Michael. He also noticed some of the guards standing guard at the entrance to the Palace or doing their patrols. Life in the palace was quiet at 2AM.

Michael then heard someone come up behind him, and he turned around defensively to face them. However, he relaxed when he saw it was Fiona. She wore a white dressing gown over her pajamas: she looked angelic. He smiled as she approached. "You couldn't sleep?"

She shook her head. "I heard you get up and I wanted to make sure you were ok."

He smiled as she took his hand in hers and they leaned over the railing to look at the nothingness below. They stood in silence for a few seconds before Fiona spoke: "Michael, I know you blame yourself for what happened today, but you couldn't have foreseen this."

His smile faded as he shook his head in response. Earlier in the day, though they figured it was fruitless, they had searched the Palace for the Grimmerie and the logs books to no avail. "That's just it, Fi: I _should_ have. Those books could be anywhere. We should have locked down the library, or taken the books to a safe location, or…"

She grabbed his face and forcibly turned him towards her. "Michael, stop! Getting angry at yourself is not going to help the situation. You need to have a clear head if you're going to pull this operation off. Got it?"

He stared into her eyes…those beautiful blue eyes…and in that instant, he knew she was right. He placed his hand on her cheek and she nuzzled into his touch. There was electricity that passed through each of them right at that moment, and for a few seconds it seemed like they were the only people in Oz.

Their moment was ruined, however, by the changing of the guard. The guards' voices broke the silence and took the two lovers out of their trance. Michael nodded. "You're right, Fi. Thank you."

The two ex-spies turned to look over the railing again. They watched as a new contingent of guards took their place to relieve the guards already on duty. They nonchalantly waved at the guards coming up the stairs to take their post by Governor Shaz's office, relieving the two guards who were already standing there.

It took a few seconds, but Michael's eyes widened and his mouth dropped in realization…"Fi, were there…"

"No, there weren't guards there before. I've never seen guards outside of his office until tonight," Fiona answered looking equally as surprised and already knowing what he was going to ask.

He turned to face Fiona and started to quietly ask, "You don't think…"

"Why not? It would be the perfect place to hide something."

Michael shook his head at the thought. "Hiding the books inside the Palace…

"…making everybody think the books had been taken outside…" Fiona added.

"…when they never left at all…"

"…so the Governor or the Wizard wouldn't have them on their person as they left the Palace…"

"…thus removing suspicion from themselves!"

A woman's voice suddenly came up from behind them. "You _do_ realize you're finishing each other's sentences, don't you?"

Michael and Fiona turned to see Glinda walking towards them. He was surprised to see her. "You're up?"

Glinda rubbed her eyes as she approached, wearing a pink nightgown. She looked worried and stressed. "I couldn't sleep…not with the trial starting tomorrow."

Fiona then asked, "Glinda, have you seen guards standing outside the Governor's office before?"

Glinda looked over to what Fiona was referring to. Her eyes widened in disbelief. "No. We never post guards outside of any of the offices here." Glinda gasped as she asked, "You don't think the Governor's behind the theft of the books, do you?"

"We don't know for sure but I _definitely _think it's worth a look," Michael replied. He motioned the ladies to huddle together. "For now, let's get some sleep. You and I…" pointing to himself and Glinda, "…need to be ready for the trial tomorrow. Fi, let's meet before the trial to discuss how we're going to 'visit' the Governor's office."

The women nodded and the trio headed back up towards their suites.

* * *

_Elphaba found herself alone walking in a field of flowers. She looked around and realized she was no longer in her jail cell. Her usual black dress was replaced by a white sleeveless dress and her emerald skin shone in the sunshine. She could feel a light breeze against her skin, flowing through her raven hair. She was walking in the field enjoying the fragrance of the flowers. As she walked, she saw a house up ahead. She walked towards the house and, upon her arrival, entered the front door. She could hear a young woman's voice singing – it sounded like a lullaby. Elphaba followed the singing upstairs but quickly turned around when she heard a knocking on the front door…_

Elphaba awoke to a knocking on her cell door. One of the guards poked his head in and threw a dress onto Elphaba's bed. "Trial day. You'd best look good for today's proceedings," he said with a sneer.

* * *

It was an hour before the trial was set to begin, and Glinda stood on the balcony, overwhelmed with the size of the crowds outside of the Emerald Palace. It seemed that everybody in Oz wanted to see what was going to happen. She shook her head at the sight of the throng before her. Down on the main floor, Pavel oversaw the admittance of the citizens who would be part of the gallery. Guards were searching people coming into the Palace for any weapons or other objects, and attendants were escorting those that passed the search to the Grand Ballroom.

Simon Bal was up early reviewing his notes one more time. He wanted to be ready to present the best case possible; though, he knew that parts of his case were flimsy. However, as Oz's chief prosecutor, he never backed down from a challenge and he swore to give it his best shot. It was about seven thirty in the morning when he kissed his wife and kids before heading towards the chaos at the Palace.

In one of the third floor suites, Michael, Sam and Fiona were discussing what they discovered the night before. Sam shook his head, saying, "Boy, those guys have a lot of chutzpah if they've hidden the books in the Governor's office."

"While we can't be certain of that, Sam, the guards out front of the office do make it look suspicious," Michael replied as he finished buttoning up his shirt and put on his jacket.

Fiona then asked, "So what do we do now? Did you want me to use my charm on the guards?"

Sam shook his head. "We don't know who's loyal to the Wizard or to Glinda – I don't think charm will work this time, Fi."

"Well, Sam, you never know," Fiona replied with a smile and a wink.

However, Michael saw differently. "He's right, Fi. If we're going to do this, we'll have to do it without anybody knowing. Sam, use your 'Chuck Finley' charm to find out what you can from the Wizard and his companions."

Sam nodded. "Will do, Mikey."

Michael then turned to Fiona. "Fi, see if you can get some equipment – I have a feeling we'll have to do this like that old warehouse in Dublin," he said with a wink.

Fiona perked up at that suggestion, remembering the operation he was referring to back when they worked together in Ireland.

It was fifteen minutes before trial, and Elphaba was already dressed, waiting for the guards to let her out. It was about then that she heard the door unlock and Michael walked in. He was dressed in a beige suit and light-blue shirt. He smiled as he walked in. "Good morning. Sleep well."

Elphaba nodded. "As best as I could. Have you seen Yero? Is he ok?"

"He's fine, Elphaba. I ran into him on the way down - he'll be there at the trial," Michael calmly replied.

Elphaba relaxed and smiled at this. She had been locked up since her capture and being in her jail cell was starting to drive her crazy. "To be honest, I want this all over as soon as possible."

Michael nodded. "I understand." He quickly added, "Now I need _you_ to understand something. Glinda mentioned something about you getting angry and stuff happening?"

Elphaba chuckled remembering how her temper got her into trouble too many times. "You could say that," she sarcastically replied.

He looked right into her eyes and said, "I need you to keep your cool throughout the entire proceedings. You're going to hear a lot of lies and fairy tales. No matter what is said or done, I need you to remain absolutely calm. Do you understand?"

Elphaba was taken aback a little by the seriousness of his tone, but realized he was right. She nodded in understanding. Michael's demeanor changed as she smiled and asked, "So, you ready to begin?"

The emerald woman breathed deep to relax and then confidently nodded. They left the prison cell to face the music.

The gallery was full to capacity and abuzz with the anticipation of what was going to happen. Glinda took a seat near the front of the gallery. She was amazed on how the Grand Ballroom was transformed into a makeshift courtroom. The front of the room had a judge's bench similar to that in a courtroom. The witness chair was a simple chair beside the judge's bench. Two tables had been set up in front of the bench: one for the prosecution, and one for the defense. There was also a small table for a court reporter to transcribe the proceedings. The rest of the room was filled with chairs full of Ozians witnessing the proceedings – there wasn't an empty seat in the house. There had to be around four hundred people sitting in the room. Outside of the Palace, thousands more stood outside to listen to the proceedings from the speakers set up the previous day.

Simon Bal sat in a chair behind his table; papers everywhere across it. Fiyero sat at the back of the gallery keeping mostly to himself. He was worried about Elphaba and how she would hold up.

Suddenly, a guard bellowed out a command: "ALL RISE!"

The gallery went quiet as everybody stood up. The guard continued, "The Honorable Judge William Falconer presiding."

The Judge entered the room and took his seat behind the bench. "Please be seated," he commanded. He addressed the gallery after they all sat down:

"Ladies and gentlemen, while I understand the historic nature of these Discovery proceedings, you need to understand that this trial is not to determine innocence or guilt, but to present evidence to determine if a criminal trial is warranted. The Defendant has requested a Public Discovery; that is why you are all here. The Emerald Palace and Her Goodness have provided the facilities to hold these proceedings and have also provided protection for us_ and_ for the Defendant, so you have nothing to fear. However, understand this: it is still _my courtroom!_ I will not tolerate _any_ disruptions; nor, will I tolerate any actions towards the Defendant. She is still innocent until proven guilty in a criminal trial. Anybody who I deem in contempt of court will be arrested and forcibly removed immediately. Is that understood?"

The crowd murmured at the Judge's ultimatum. After a few seconds, the Judge smiled. "Good." He then turned towards the guard beside him. "Bailiff, please bring in the Defendant."

* * *

**A/N - I know it's a short chapter but it sets up the proceedings nicely. :) **


	15. Testamony

**A/N – Hello everybody. **

**I am really sorry for taking so long to update this story. When I started this fic (this being my first fanfic), I figured I'd update as I go along.**

**Boy did life have other plans.  
**

**Yet, I have learned a lot about writing since I first began this story. Yes, it was a crazy idea to do a Burn Notice/Wicked crossover, but as a good fanfic friend of mine said, "If you enjoy writing, don't be afraid to post it". And she was right - I miss this. I miss having the time to write stories and be creative. And I apologize for those following this story that it's taken me this long to update. If you're still out there, please let me know - I'd love to hear from you.**

**I have also learned a couple of other things: one, always have a plan; and, two, make sure you commit to writing the story completely. I am working on finishing this story (being my first, it does have a little sentimental value). I can't promise consistent updates, but I will get this completed. I am also roughing out a new story that I'm hoping to start posting in the future.  
**

**Disclaimer: I own neither "Wicked" nor "Burn Notice".**

* * *

The circus began as soon as the doors near the Judge's bench opened and Michael and Elphaba walked into the room. As the sight of the green woman, the audience in the gallery booed and hissed, creating such a commotion at which the Judge banged his gavel to try to restore order.

Elphaba tried to not let the crowds bother her, but as she turned her face away, Michael saw the tears in her eyes. All the good she tried to do for the Animals of Oz didn't matter - she was 'Public Enemy Number 1'.

_No good deed goes unpunished_, she bitterly thought.

As the crowd grew more restless, a young man sitting in the front row decided to take matters into his own hands. He grabbed the chair he was sitting on and charged towards the Wicked Witch. Elphaba saw him coming and hid behind Michael for protection. But the man never made it. The crowd gasped as the unfortunate gentleman was thrown backwards by an invisible force as soon as he tried to enter the trial area. Both Michael and Elphaba looked over a Glinda with surprise.

The blonde sat there calmly with a wicked smirk on her face.

Suddenly, Gale Force officers arrived at the front of the room. The Judge turned to them and ordered, "Escort this man out of the Palace _immediately_!"

As the man was taken away, Judge Falconer re-addressed the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, we will have _order_ in this courtroom! If anybody tries anything again, they _will_ be arrested! Is that understood?" He then turned to Elphaba and Michael: "Miss Thropp – Mr. Weston – please take your seats."

They did as the Judge ordered. Falconer, now regaining his composure, continued, "As this is not a trial, there will not be any opening arguments. Mr. Bal, please call your first witness."

The first person Simon Bal called was a Mrs. Arduenna North. She lived in the Uplands and was married to a farmer in the area. She relayed her story to the prosecutor: "My husband and I grow a lot of corn that supplies the local communities. We had a thriving business for years."

"I understand, Mrs. North. How has business been in the past couple of years?"

"Terrible: the drought has cut our production by over half of what it normally is."

"Do you have any proof of this, Mrs. North?"

She nodded. "We keep a ledger of our production and sales. You will see that the last couple of years have been our worst."

Simon, having been handed the ledger before the trial, grabbed it from his table handed it to the Judge to be included as evidence. He then turned back to the witness and asked, "Did you raise your concerns to anybody, Mrs. North?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. We talked to the Wizard himself."

"How long ago?"

"Two years ago."

"And what did he tell you?"

"That the Wicked Witch caused the drought…"

Michael stood up calmly. "Objection: the answer is hearsay, your honor."

The Judge nodded. "Sustanined."

Elphaba leaned over and whispered, "Nice one," to which Michael smiled in response.

Simon turned back to his table and picked up a number of clipped newspaper articles and then handed them to the Judge. "Your honor, the witness kept these newspaper articles to support Mrs. North's claim that the Wicked Witch is behind the cause of the drought."

Elphaba started to fume and turned to Michael, whispering, "Great. Now they blame _me_ for something that happened long _before_ this whole mess started."

Michael turned to her and smiled, answering, "Don't worry. I've got this covered."

Simon turned to the Judge and said, "I have no more questions, your honor."

Michael stood up and approached the Judge. "Your honor: may I see those newspaper articles?"

_(Michael Westen Voiceover): The "art" of cross-examination has little to do with being an art form. Most of it involves hard work, but there are a few rules you can follow: know your objective, take baby steps, and lead the witness into meeting your objective._

The Judge handed them to Michael, who took a few moments to read them. After a few moments, he looked at Mrs. North and smiled. "It looks like it's been a rough couple of years."

She cautiously nodded. "It has."

"I'm sorry to hear that. It must be very frustrating and upsetting."

Arduenna's face started to harden. "You have _no_ idea."

"It must have been comforting to have the Wizard tell you it was the Witch's fault."

She shook her head. "Not really – our crops are still doing poorly."

"So, why did you keep these articles?"

Arduenna gritted her teeth in answering: "Because I wanted a reminder of who to blame for all of this."

"And who would that be?"

She pointed at Elphaba accusingly. "That _witch!_"

The crowd in the room murmured at the witness' response, prompting the Judge to bang his gavel to maintain order.

"And you believe it's the defendant's fault because of what the Wizard told you?"

Arduenna nodded, but added, "…and the articles."

Michael continued: "Each one of these I read says…and I'm quoting one of them here…'_…__a__ source __from__ the __Emerald __Palace __informed__ the __Oz __Times__ that __the__ Wicked __Witch __is __behind __the__se recent events…'_."

"That confirms what the Wizard says."

"These articles are about a year and a half old, while the Wizard was still in power. Yes?"

The witness just shrugged. "I suppose so."

"Hmm…the Wizard blames the defendant for the drought...the articles quote a source from the Emerald Palace blaming the defendant for the drought...seems to me that the only people blaming the defendant of the drought are the same people. Wouldn't you agree?"

Arduenna squirmed a little bit, realizing where Michael was going with this. "I suppose so."

Michael decided to change tactics. "Mrs. North, did you ever meet the defendant, Miss Thropp?"

"No."

"See her cast any spells?"

"No."

"See her fly around on her broom?"

"I think we get the point, Mr. Westen," Judge Falconer interrupted, getting tired of his questioning.

Michael nodded to the Judge. "Just two more questions, your honor…" He then turned to Arduenna. "Mrs. North, did you ever see the defendant cast any spells to cause the drought?"

"No."

"Did you ever see her do anything that these newspaper articles claim?"

She shook her head. "No."

Michael smiled, having made his point, finished his questioning. "Thank you Mrs. North. I have nothing further."

Simon Bal had called a few more citizens to give their testimony as to how the Witch's actions affected their lives. With each witness, Michael used the same approach and got the same answer: they were _told_ that all their problems were because of the Witch but nobody saw her do anything to cause them.

One man in particular spun a wild story: "I would see that evil woman, flying at night on her broomstick, tormenting the citizens of our town. You could see the evil in her eyes and that wicked smile."

Michael just shook his head. "So, you're telling me that you can see in the dark?"

That's when the witness realized the absurdity of his claims.

"If this is all they've got, this will be over sooner than I thought," Elphaba remarked to Michael as he sat down.

He shook his head. "This is just the beginning. They'll be bringing out the heavy hitters soon."

"When?"

Simon Bal then stood up. "Your honor, I would like to call Madame Helena Morrible to the stand."

Michael sighed. "Now."

* * *

_(Michael Westen Voiceover): When you work with somebody for a long period of time, you start to lose count of the number of missions you've done together. However, there are some missions that hold special memories…like the time you repelled through an open window of a warehouse in Dublin to steal the military plans of the IRA. It doesn't sound glorious, but when it's your first mission together, it holds special memories._

To the casual observer, it would seem Miss Fiona Glenanne was simply enjoying the sights and sounds of the Emerald Palace. In reality, she was doing two things: first, she was scoping out the guards in front of the Governor's office, noticing that they change shifts every hour.

Second, she was looking for some "old friends". She smiled when she found them standing guard by the entrance doors.

"Ah, Duncan and Craven...just the men I was looking for."

Both men visibly tensed at the sight of Fiona. They both weakly smiled. "Good day, Ms. Glenanne."

"I wonder: do you boys know anything about the guards keeping watch over the Governor's office?"

Duncan nodded. "Yeah, sure. The Gov wanted the Force to watch his office ever since the Witch was found."

"As a matter of fact, we're slated to take the late afternoon shift," Craven added.

Fiona's face beamed with excitement. "Wonderful. I may just need your help on a little assignment. You wouldn't happen to have a rope, harness, descender, and gloves?"

They nervously looked at the ex-IRA agent. "Uh, what do you have in mind?"

"Let's just say I'm going to drop into the Governor's office," she replied with a sly smile.

* * *

If there was an award for "The Witness who gave The Most Convincing Testimony While Lying Through Her Teeth", Helena Morrible would have been the hands-down winner. While on the witness stand, Morrible told her story about meeting Elphaba at Shiz and realizing she possessed magic. She told the court of Elphaba's invitation to the Emerald City, saying that, 'by meeting the Wizard, we hoped to turn her from her evil ways'. She continued telling her story, even starting to 'weep' when she talked about what did to those 'poor Monkeys'.

Half way through her 'testimony', Bal asked the former headmistress, "Has the defendant always held such strong beliefs for Animals' rights?"

Michael stood. "Objection, your honor. Relevance of the question?"

Bal smiled as he countered with his point, "Your honor, the defendant has been known to have allegiances with the renegade Animals. It's widely known that it's the underlying motivation for the defendant's actions. I am merely trying to prove that point."

Michael then spoke. "But the witness' opinion is clouded by her own actions, your honor. As press secretary to the Wizard at the time of these events, her own feelings about the Animals would prejudice her opinion of the defendant."

"But the witness isn't on trial, your honor, and she had close contact with the defendant and provide insight to the events that caused her to commit her crimes!"

Falconer banged his gavel to silence the conversation. "That's enough, gentlemen. I will allow this question to stand. Overruled, Mr. Westen."

Morrible smirked as she stared back at her former student. "Yes, she has. She was very close to one of our professors: a Dr. Dillamond. He was a Goat that taught history at Shiz until he was removed from his post. Poor Miss Thropp was never the same since."

Michael could feel Elphaba start to tense up in anger. "That bitch," she whispered under her breath.

"Keep calm. She's trying to get you riled up so your magic will explode."

Morrible continued, talking about how she would hear people tell her how the 'Wicked Witch' terrorized them. Throughout her testimony, Morrible always seem to dab her eye with a handkerchief in a 'display' of sorrow at 'the plight of the citizens of Oz'.

Throughout Morrible's testimony, Glinda could feel the anger welling up within her as the woman she put in jail was now out to spread her lies. Glinda recalled how she allowed herself to fall under Morrible's manipulation at the cost of her friendship to Elphaba. When she realized what Morrible's true nature was like, and when she thought she'd lost her best friend, she'd regretted her decision it ever since.

Finally, Simon Bal finished his questioning and allowed Michael his turn for cross-examination.

"How was the defendant as a sorcery student, Madame Morrible?"

Morrible pursed her lips as if to think of a horrendous memory. "She had a fantastic proficiency in sorcery and worked hard at her craft. However, I knew she would be trouble. She had a fighting spirit and a severely independent mind. Her allegiance to those awful Animals is what I think propelled her to do so well in the class, but it clouded her better judgment."

Michael then reached for a letter in his pile of papers. "As a matter of fact, in one of your school reports, you wrote, '...Miss Thropp shows great promise with a future of sorcery...'. She was a straight 'A' student."

"That's correct," the headmistress repeated as Michael handed the report to the Judge for evidence.

Pulling another letter, Michael continued, "As a matter of fact, you wrote to her father saying, '...I...', meaning you, '...will be recommending Elphaba as the next Grand Vizier of Oz...'. That is correct, isn't it?"

Morrible squirmed a little bit. "I think so."

He handed her the letter. "That is your signature on the bottom of that letter, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," she replied conceding the point.

Michael then handed the letter to the judge to submit as evidence.

"I don't see anything in these letters that talk about any behavioral problems. No notices of disciplinary action."

Morrible's smile started to crack a little bit. "Well, we decided to handle the issue privately. We worked so hard with Miss Thropp to try and steer her in the right direction."

Michael cracked a smile. "So, if she was so much trouble, why recommend her as 'Grand Vizier'?"

Morrible's smile fell as she realized that she was being cornered. However, she never got a chance to formulate a reply as Michael moved on. "You were the Wizard's press secretary, correct?"

"That's right," she mumbled in reply.

"And was it you who made the pronouncement about the 'Wicked Witch of the West', correct?"

"Correct."

"After what she did to the Monkeys, correct?"

"Correct."

"So, both the Wizard and his Press Secretary were the _only__ ones_ to declare the defendant 'Wicked'."

The audience gasped and murmured on Michael's observation. Howver, Bal stood up, knowing he couldn't allow Michael's point to stand. "Your honor, that's not even a question. Is council now testifying?"

"I withdraw my statement, your honor," Michael replied. However, he knew that statement made an impact on the crowds of Ozians taking in the proceedings as a few murmurs were still rumbling throughout the room.

"That's all I have. No more questions."

* * *

Outside the Palace, Sam was wandering through the crowds, trying to get a sense of their reactions to what they were hearing. The trial was currently in recess for lunch, so Sam listened in to the crowd's conversations. From what he could gather, Michael was putting on quite the performance as everybody was mesmerized by the proceedings inside the courtroom.

As he wandered, he noticed the Wizard sitting by himself in the café, looking very nervous. He walked over and sat down at the table, ordering a couple of beers in the process. He turned to the Wizard. "You're not looking too happy there, Wiz."

"Indeed, I am not doing too well, Mr. Finley," the Wizard replied nervously, wiping the sweat from his brow. "It appears that the Witch's council is making a good show of it. I am afraid we may have to come up with a different plan."

After taking a swig of beer, Sam leaned in towards the Wizard. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, Mr. Finley, where do we stand on your special shipment of yours?"

Sam nodded in understanding, while holding back his fear on the inside. "It's on its way," he lied. "Getting it here with this crowd might make it a little tougher, though."

The Wizard nodded in understanding. "Perhaps I can recommend an alternate location?"

"You've already got an alternate location?"

The Wizard smiled. "My dear, Mr. Finley, you don't decide to perform a government coup without some sort of backup plan. Just tell me the weapons are on their way and, when they're close, I'll tell you where to send them."

While Sam and the Wizard talked, they failed to notice the head of the Gale Force watching them from a distance.

* * *

Once the lunch recess was over, the Judge asked Simon, "Mr. Bal, are you ready for your next witness?"

"Indeed, I am," the Prosecutor replied as he stood. "Your honor, I call upon Mr. Boq Riddle."

Everybody gasped as the main doors to the ballroom opened. All eyes were on the Tinman as he defiantly walked towards the front of the room; his gaze only fixed forward towards the witness stand with determination in his eyes. Fiyero watched with surprise as his former Shizmate walked in, while his viridian companion sighed, knowing that he would stand against her. Glinda also watched with surprise and horror as her closest confidant and friend strode towards the witness stand, disbelieving that he would ever betray her.

And yet, here he was, making a stand against "the Witch".

It wasn't until Boq reached the first row that he happened to look over and see Glinda's horrified face. His eyes held their own apology in them but with a look that said, 'I have to do this'. Glinda nodding, as if to understand; and with that, Boq took the stand.

Mr. Bal rose from his feet. "Please state your name."

"Boq Riddle."

"Mr. Riddle, how do you know the defendant?"

"I knew her from University. She was the sister of the Governor of Munchkinland."

"Miss Nessarose Thropp, I presume?"

"Yes," Boq replied, nodding in response. For there, Boq told the court of how Elphaba came to the Governor's mansion and that it was Elphaba's fault he was turned to tin.

Holding up a picture of Boq on his graduation day, Bal asked him, "Was this you before the Witch changed you to tin?"

"Yes, it is," Boq replied coldly.

Bal handed the picture to Judge Falconer. "I have no further questions."

Michael got up to cross examine, trying to figure out how he would play this. After thinking a few seconds, he decided to take a softer approach. He asked Boq, "Do you remember the night you were transformed?"

"How could I not?"

"Just a 'yes' or 'no' will do, Mr. Riddle," Judge Falconer warned Boq, to which he replied in the affirmative.

"I would like you to walk us through that night. What happened when you first saw the defendant?"

Boq thought for a moment and then started to tell his story. "Well, she had just used her magic powers to get The Governess to walk."

"That must have been a happy event. Wasn't it?"

"It was for Nessa…I mean, the Governess. However, I saw it as an opportunity for freedom; to leave the Governor's mansion." He then looked right at Glinda as he continued. "I had somewhere else I wanted to be."

"Did the Governess take that well?"

"No."

Michael walked up slowly and quietly asked him, "Can you tell us what happened next?"

Boq closed his eyes as he tried to remember that fateful night…

_Nessarose didn't even look up at Boq. "DID YOU THINK I'D LET YOU LEAVE ME HERE FLAT?"_

_She slowly turned to face him. Boq grabbed a letter opener for protection, absolutely was terrified. "Don't come any closer!"_

_Nessa was furious. "YOU'RE GOING TO LOSE YOUR HEART TO ME, I TELL YOU! IF I HAVE TO..."_

_It was then that she saw the Grimmerie. "I HAVE TO...MAGIC SPELL YOU..."_

_Nessa grabbed the Grimmerie and started reading one of the spells in it. Elphaba was horrified. Nessa wasn't performing the spell right! "Nessa, stop!"_

"_What is she doing?"_

"_No, Nessa, you're pronouncing the words all wrong!_

_All of a sudden, Boq cried out in pain, grabbing his chest._

_Nessarose jumped. "Boq! What is it?"_

_Boq gasped. "My heart feels like it's... shrinking…" And with that statement, he breathed his last breath._

_Nessa looked in horror. "Elphaba, do something…!"_

Boq looked up at Michael, horror on his face. "Oh, dear Oz. It wasn't Elphaba at all. It was Nessa."

The entire audience gasped at Boq's revelation. Michael only nodded. "How long were you out?"

Boq shook his head. "I…I don't know, sir. I only remember waking up afterwards."

"When you awoke, did you discover then you were made of tin?"

Boq nodded. "Yes sir."

"What happened next?"

Boq looked at Elphaba with sorrow in his eyes. "Nessa kept saying Elphaba did it."

Looking directly in Boq's eyes, Michael pointed to Elphaba and told him, "But it wasn't, was it? Elphaba tried to save your life."

Mr. Bal stood up amid the Judge banging his gavel for order. "Objection, your honor! Shall we permit council to testify on behalf of the defendant again?"

"I withdraw my statement!" Michael shouted back. It didn't matter that council objected to his last statement – it was for Boq's benefit anyway. He had made his point.

He then looked at Boq. "I have no more questions."

* * *

Sam was walking back into the castle when his phone rang. "Yeah, Fi?"

"Hey, Sam, I've gotten a few supplies to help 'drop in' on Shaz. Do you think you could meet me upstairs in about an hour?"

One of the guards walked up to Sam. "Excuse me sir? Miss Glinda requests your presence in your quarters immediately."

Sam thanked the guard but was puzzled – what did Glinda want to talk to him about? _Perhaps __she__ wants __an __update __about __my __meeting __with__ the __Wizard_¸ he thought.

"Yeah, Fi, I'll be there. Right now, I've got to go meet with Glinda upstairs. I'll catch up with you later."

With that, he closed his phone and ventured towards the guest suites. When he walked into his quarters, however, he heard the ominous click of a pistol.

Pavel calmly sat at the table with his weapon aimed directly at him.

"Close the door Mr. Finley."


	16. Truth and Revelations

**A/N – Hi again. Yay! I finally got a chance to update again.**

**I want to give a huge shout out and thank you to Evil But Friendly Rival and SunRise19 for your reviews. Thank you so much – you certainly made _my_ day. **

**Disclaimer: …it's a _FanFiction_ site. Why would I own anything?**

* * *

Evening fell on the Emerald city; the setting sun basking everything in its orange glow. The crowds in front of the palace had started to dissipate as the last of the people inside finished streaming out of the palace.

In a room off to a desolate part of the Palace, a certain tin man sat alone: his mind swimming with thoughts of what just happened in the courtroom. It wasn't long after his testimony that the Judge ordered a recess until the next day. Elphaba had been escorted back to her cell and the audience of witnesses began to leave. Boq took that moment to quietly slip out of the room and into seclusion.

He just wanted to be alone.

One thought continually circled in his mind:

"_Oh dear Oz. It was Nessa…"_

There was a knock on the door that woke him from his thoughts. The door opened and Glinda walked in. "Hey."

He didn't even look up.

Glinda sat down beside him and put a hand on his tin shoulder. "Are you ok?"

It was silent for a few seconds before he spoke. "How could I have been so wrong?"

"About what?"

"I remember that day vividly; the pain as my heart shrank, the anger I felt at my transformation…Have I _really _been angry that long?"

"Boq, it's understandable that you were angry back then, but you can't feel it now…"

The words died on her lips as he shook his head. "No, that's not true."

It was a few seconds before he spoke again.

"I stopped feeling because I chose to."

Glinda let out a small gasp at his admission and he turned to look at her. It was then that she saw something in his eyes she had never seen the whole time they were together: pain.

"All I remember is how angry I felt when I saw what Elphaba did to me. All I wanted was revenge; I wanted her to pay for what she did to me. All I could think of back then was: why did she do this to me? What did I do to her to deserve this? And now, I realize I was wrong. She wasn't trying to hurt me; she was trying to _save_ me."

"It was all a confusifying time, Boq", Glinda replied, trying to find the words to soothe her friend's pain. "There was so much going on. You didn't know."

They sat like that for a while before Boq broke the silence again. "There's something else you need to know. There's another reason why I stopped feeling."

She didn't pry the answer out of him; she knew he would continue when he was ready.

"It's because I love you."

Glinda taken aback by his statement, but Boq continued, not even looking at the blonde. "After what happened to me, I wondered: how could I be any good to you? How could I even begin to tell you how I feel when all I felt was cold and angry?"

"What about Nessa? Didn't you love her?"

Boq shook his head. "I never loved her, Glinda. I only went out with her at Shiz because you asked me to."

Glinda's heart broke at his answer. She remembered how she made Boq invite Nessarose to the OzDust just to send him away. She remembered how Nessa fell for Boq from the beginning but knew that he didn't feel the same way. She decided to ignore what was directly in front of her.

She realized her friend paid the price for it.

Glinda's eyes began to well up with tears. "I know you did, Boq. I know that…and you must hate me for it."

With that, she quickly got up and left the room as Boq called out to her: "Wait…Glinda…"

Glinda stormed through the Grand Hall covering her face, trying to hide her tears. She was awoken from her thoughts…

"Glinda!"

She looked over and saw Fiona walking towards her with a confused and concerned look on her face. "Hey," Fiona asked her, "are you ok?"

Regaining her composure, she nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm ok. What's up?"

"I thought you were meeting with Sam."

Now it was Glinda's turn to look confused. "No…I didn't see Sam at all today."

"But I thought he said…" Fiona's thoughts stopped when an awful realization hit her. She quickly picked up her phone and dialed. "Michael, we've got a problem. Sam's in trouble…"

* * *

Sam did as he said and closed the door. "Do you mind telling me what this is about?"

But Pavel didn't waver. "Ah, ah, ah, Mr. Finley. First, your gun: throw it to me."

Sam carefully reached into his jacket and pulled out his gun. He threw it on the floor in front of the Captain who reached down to retrieve the weapon. He started to reach for his cell when Pavel cocked the gun, thinking Sam was up to something.

"Relax; I'm just getting my phone out." He pulled it out and opened it, showing Pavel that he meant no harm. Pavel waived the gun, motioning towards the chair. Sam did as the Captain requested and sat down placing the phone on the table.

Not before dialing speed dial first.

Michael stood in the hall with Glinda and Fiona. "Did he say where he was going?"

Fiona nodded. "He said he was heading upstairs to meet with Glinda."

"Probably in his quarters," Mike replied. "Let's go."

Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of Michael's cell phone. He looked down at the caller id: Sam.

Sam decided it play it cool, but he wanted to make sure that his question was heard over the phone. "So, Pavel, what can I do for you?"

The Captain didn't lower his weapon, but smiled as he replied. "I'd like to have a chat with you about your dealings with the Wizard."

Playing along, Sam nodded. "Ok. Sure. I don't mind being brought to my quarters to have a chat with an armed guard."

That's all Michael needed to hear as he, Fiona and Glinda headed straight for Sam's room.

They hoped that Sam would be alright.

Pavel, still holding his pistol at Sam, calmly spoke, "Mr. Finley, or whatever your name is, I'm trying to stop the Wizard from forming a revolution, and your presence here is making that task much more difficult."

Sam was confused. "Wait a minute: you're trying to _stop_ the Wizard?"

"I'm trying to prevent civil war, Mr. Finley. For the first time in a long time, there's been true unity across all of Oz, and that is all because of Miss Glinda's tireless efforts and conviction. If anything should happen to her, Wizard or not, there would be a power vacuum. The outlying countries would start to distrust the Emerald Palace. Oz forbid they take up arms because of it."

"I thought you were trying to work with him…"

"Only to gain his trust," Pavel interrupted. "I needed to know how deep this conspiracy goes."

"And what about Glinda? What are your thoughts on her?" Sam asked.

Pavel's face hardened. "She has done more good in the past year than the Wizard's entire reign. I would give my life to protect her."

Sam's eyes widened in realization. "So this was a 'double-blind'?"

Pavel nodded. "Yes, Mr. Finley, it was. And as for you…"

Suddenly, the door burst open, interrupting his answer. He stood aiming his pistol at whoever entered the room. He saw Michael enter with his gun aimed right at him. Fiona followed right behind holding her VSSK VYCHLOP rifle. Pavel grabbed Sam's gun in his free hand and aimed it at Michael while aiming his pistol at Fiona.

Michael remained very calm. "Drop the guns, Pavel."

However, the Captain just chuckled. "Well, it appears we have a 'Quadling Standoff'. Interesting turn of events, is it not?"

However, Sam stood up between the three of them. "Yeah, well, drop the guns, 'Tex'." He then turned to his companions. "You too, Mikey. Fi."

They all stared at Sam dumbfounded before Sam continued.

"Apparently, we're all on the same side."

"What?" came Glinda's shocked reply as she walked into the room.

Pavel's heart leapt into his throat as he saw Glinda enter the room. "Your Goodness, I'm sorry."

"Pavel, what's going on?"

As everybody lowered their weapons in confusion, Sam let out a sigh of relief. "Guys, grab a chair. You'll want to hear _this_."

Sam then shouted to the Palace servants: "CAN _SOMEBODY_, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, GET ME A BEER?"

With everybody seated, and Sam supplied with his beer, Pavel started to tell his tale. He talked about how he heard some rumors about the Wizard being back in town. His investigations confirmed the rumors. As a matter of fact, the Wizard approached Pavel with a chance to serve him _if_ Pavel would help him get rid of 'Glinda the Good'. He only agreed to help the Wizard to try and get more information of the Wizard's plans. As the weeks passed, Pavel realized that Shaz and a number of the Gale Force soldiers were also involved. He also learned about the Wizard's warehouses; he routinely asked the guards about their shifts by the warehouses, trying to ascertain their contents.

Pavel then turned to Sam. "When you came to talk to the Wizard a few days ago, he was delighted to finally have the weapons to take on Her Goodness' forces."

"Explains why the Wizard was really receptive to your offer, Sam," Mike commented.

"Sam?" Pavel asked confused.

Sam chuckled. "Sorry, Pavel. Chuck Finley is just a cover."

Pavel nodded in understanding before continuing. "Anyway, I knew I had to do something. The pieces were starting to fall into place for the Wizard, and after seeing your modern pistol, I was afraid that we would not be able to stand up to the Wizard's forces."

The Captain then turned towards Glinda. "I apologize, Your Goodness. I should have told you about my investigation, but I wanted to confirm how deep the conspiracy went. If you feel it necessary to relieve me of my post…"

"Goodness, no. That is not necessary," came Glinda's reply. "I am just glad to see that I still have friends."

"Your Goodness, there are more men on the Gale Force who would give their lives for you than for the Wizard, including myself."

Pavel's answer allowed the Good Witch to breathe a sigh of relief. The events of the past few weeks had taken a toll on her confidence; however, knowing the Captain of the Guard and most of his men 'had her back' started to bring back that confidence.

Turning to the group, Pavel then asked, "So, how is the case going?"

Sam answered that question: "From what I hear, Mikey's doing all right, but we don't have anything to help him hit a home run."

Fiona nodded. "We've _got _to find the Grimmerie."

"Does it look like a big black book with special markings on the cover?" Pavel asked. When the others nodded in the affirmative, he continued. "I know where it is. It's hiding in Governor Shaz's office somewhere. I saw him and the Wizard take it in there a few days ago."

Michael then smiled his million dollar smile "Hey, Fi…Sam…how about a little 'breaking and entering'?"

* * *

The early morning sun began to rise in the east, engulfing the city in its light. It was anticipated to be a hot day, and the Palace attendants brought out tents to bring shade to the throngs that stood outside the Palace. While everybody's attention was taken by the crews setting up tents, nobody noticed the three figures that ran across the rooftop of the palace.

Sam, Fiona and Pavel reached a skylight: below them stood the Governor's office, a large room with a desk to one side across from a large double door. The walls were covered in dark wood panels made from Quoxwood trees. In the middle of the room stood a table with various maps and papers.

The previous evening, the team decided to perform their operation in the early morning. Guards outside of the Governor's office would be tired from standing guard for the night and people would be pre-occupied with the setup at the front of the palace. In addition, the Governor worked in his office until the late evening.

If all went well, he checked on his prized possessions the night before and wouldn't notice the Grimmerie gone this morning.

Sam dropped the long length of rope he carried over his shoulder. He then took a repel harness and fastened it around Fiona's waist and legs. Fiona reached into her satchel and pulled out a figure eight descender and fed it through the rope.

_(Michael Westen voiceover): The best way to sneak into a secured room unnoticed is to come into that room where they don't expect it. People will have doors locked and possibly guarded, but they do not worry about a skylight or high window. If you have repelling equipment, you're all set. _

The roof of the palace had a number of pipes, chimneys, and support beams that, while aren't visible to the patrons below, served as a perfect point to secure the repel rope. Sam secured the rope to a large pipe, and handed the other end to Fiona, who proceeded to feed the rope through the decender.

With Fiona all harnessed up, Sam opened the skylight. After making sure nobody was around, and making sure their earpieces worked, he turned his attention to Fiona. "Ready?"

She nodded.

Fiona threw the rope down into the room below and slowly started her descent into the room. She quietly made her descent, slowly feeding rope in one end of the metal figure she created. When she finally reached the floor, she spoke into her earpiece: "Alright, Sam…I'm in."

Leaving the harness attached, Fiona searched the room while Sam and Pavel pulled up the other end of the rope in case they had to pull Fiona up for a quick escape. She searched through everything in his office: desk drawers, credenzas, and assorted piles of paper. Fiona realized that, whatever they were looking for, it wasn't going to be easy to find. Pavel kept watch on the rooftop to make sure they were alone.

While Fiona searched through the office, Sam pulled out some binoculars from his backpack and looked inside the office for anything that could give a clue of the book's whereabouts.

And then he saw it: along one of the wood paneled walls, one of the panels is lighter than the rest.

"Fi, I think I found something."

Fiona, with her nose in some papers on the table, was surprised. "From all the way up there, Sam? That's pretty good. You're must not be as old as you look."

"Oh, ha ha ha. Very funny. Look along the far wall, fourth panel from the left, two up, it's different from the rest."

Fiona put down all of the papers, walked over to the wall, found the panel and gave it a knock. "It's hollow."

Sam smiled. "Secret compartment."

Fiona gave the panel a small push, and it gave way to reveal a hidden compartment with a number of books in it,

Most notably a big black book.

"Sam, I found it," she said triumphantly as she put the Grimmerie into her satchel and pulled out another book.

Sam smiled. "Good work." He saw her flipping through the second book. "What have you got there?"

"I do believe I've found the Wizard's notebook. It seems to be full of names, dates, notes, and…oh."

"What?"

Fiona skims the pages, "It's a notebook of names of different people…it looks like different politicians across Oz. There are also names of guards, soldiers, and politicians from the other countries." She turned a few pages more. "Oh, he even has an enemy's list."

"Anybody we know?"

Two names stood out. "The King and Queen of the Vinkus are on this list." She flipped a few more pages. "Now this is interesting: the Wizard has also made notes of Glinda's travels, projects, whereabouts…anything he can think of. He's also got the listing of the location of his warehouses and an inventory of what's in them." She paused on a page. "Sam, this confirms he's been stopping the flow of goods to the citizens of Oz."

Sam sighed. "So why is the Wizard's notebook in Governor Shaz's office?"

Fi turned to the front of the book. "His name is in here as one of the Wizard's allies. I'll bet he hid it for safe keeping - he wouldn't want anybody to know what they're up to."

"Bring that with you as well, Fi. Glinda will want to see that."

Fiona nodded and put the Wizard's notebook in her satchel as well. She reached into the hidden compartment and pulled out a third book. "Well, it looks like the Governor is hiding the Palace library's log book." She flipped through the book, stopped at a page and smiled. "And now I know why. Michael will want this for today's court session."

Suddenly, Fiona heard the door to the office unlock. She quickly stashed the books and closed the panel. "Sam, we've got company. Get me out now!"

He turned to Pavel. "Help me with this."

Both men grabbed the rope and started to pull Fiona up as fast as they could. Fiona was in the middle of the room when she heard noise outside – voices.

"Sam, hurry up: I think we're out of time."

Just as she got to the top of the window, the door opened, but the Governor's attention was to the guards outside. They heard one of the guards say, "No sir, there's been nobody here at all last night."

Governor Shaz smiled back to the guard, "Thank you. That will be all." Not once did he notice that the window above him had just closed.

Sam, Fiona and Pavel got away from the window and breathed a sigh of relief. They had just gotten Fiona up and the rope out of the office before the Governor came in. Besides that, they had what they were looking for. Now, they had to get it to Michael so he could put on the big show in the grand hall.

Shaz sat down at his desk to review some papers. However, he noticed that his paneled wall didn't look right. He walked over to the light wood panel and pushed it open. He recoiled in horror as he saw the compartment behind it empty.

"GUARDS!"


End file.
